ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES: 


CONTAINING 


CAPT.  GEORGE  E.  TYSOIS^'S 


AVOXDERFUL   DRIFT   0:N^   THE   ICE-FLOE, 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  POLARIS  EXPEDITION, 


CRUISE  OF  THE  TI0EES8, 
AND  RESCUE  OF  THE  POLARIS  SURVIVORS. 


TO  WHIOU  IS  ADDKn 


A  GENERAL  ARCTIC  CHRONOLOGY. 
Edited  by  E.   VAI^E   BLAKE. 


NEW    YORK: 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN     SQUARE. 

18  74. 


'  Ky  I  \j 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874,  by 

Harper    &    Brothers, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


P  R  E  F  A  C  E  „ 


A  LEADING  object  of  this  work  is  to  present,  in  a  popular  form, 
the  entire  history  of  the  Polaris  Exploring  Expedition,  not  only- 
giving  the  valuable  results  accomplished  by  it,  but  going  deep 
enough  into  causes  to  trace  out  the  weak  points  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  party — indicating,  without  fear  or  favor,  those  elements 
of  disintegration  which  were  at  work  from  the  outset,  calculated 
to  impair,  though  it  could  not  wholly  destroy,  it^  efficiency. 

The  truth  must  be  told,  in  order  that  succeeding  expeditions 
may  avoid  the  errors  which  prevented  the  development  of  that 
esprit  de  corps  which  is  essential  to  the  highest  success  of  explor- 
ing parties. 

Notwithstanding  its  unfortunate  features,  the  Polaris  Expedi- 
tion was  not  a  failure,  but  a  grand  success;  for  though  far  more 
and  better  might  have  been  accomplished  with  a  united  and  har- 
monious company,  we  can  proudly  point  to  the  record  of  the  voy- 
age, in  its  geographical  achievements,  os  unrivaled ;  nor  do  the 
scientific  results  interest  the  world  the  less  because  of  any  cloud 
resting  upon  any  member  of  the  expedition. 

Whoever  reads  this  book  to  the  end  will  naturally  be  led  to 
ask,  If  so  much  could  be  accomplished  by  a  divided  and  disaffect- 
ed party,  what  might  not  be  done  by  a  united  and  properly  dis- 
ciplined body  equally  well  equipped? 

In  regard  to  the  personal  experiences  of  Captain  Tyson,  the 
natural  reticence  and  modesty  of  that  officer  has  compelled  the 
editor  to  underestimate  and  suppress  much  that  is  fairly  due  to 
him ;  and  the  reader  is  reminded  that  far  more  emphasis  might 
fairly  be  given  to  his  share,  in  whatever  of  success  was  achieved 
by  the  Polaris  Expedition,  but  for  this  peculiarity  of  the  Assist- 
ant Navigator, 

"  Who,  like  a  statue  solid  set, 
And  moulded  in  colossal  calm," 

appears  quite  unaware  that  he  has  done  any  thing  extraordina- 
ry, or  more  than  what  any  right-minded,  honest  man  would  have 
done  under  the  same  circumstances. 


a  PREFACE. 

All  the  original  data  possessed  by  Captain  Tyson  (except  his 
journal  written  on  the  Polaris,  which  was  left  on  board  at  the 
time  of  the  separation)  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  editor,  with 
every  necessary  verbal  explanation,  before  the  former  sailed  in 
the  Tigress.  During  the  interval  between  his  rescue  and  his  re- 
turn to  the  Arctic  regions  in  search  of  the  Polaris  survivors,  he 
recompiled  from  memory  and  a  few  brief  notes  his  lost  journal, 
and  we  are  thus  enabled  to  give  it,  with  but  slight  verbal  varia- 
tions, from  the  original  diary. 

Captain  Tyson's  "Early  Experience"  will  show  that  amateur 
Arctic  explorers,  physically  fitted  for  the  work,  may  be  found  in 
every  whaling  ship  that  sails. 

In  addition  to  the  narrative  portion,  the  introductory  chapter 
contains  a  general  resume  of  Arctic  experiences;  and  in  the 
chronology  will  be  found  epitomized  all  the  principal  events  of 
interest  relating  to  previous  and  contemporary  Polar  expedition^, 
adding  greatly  to  the  value  of  the  work  as  a  book  of  reference. 

In  accordance  with  the  popular  character  designed,  scientific 
terms  and  mere  details  of  work  performed  have  been  avoided. 
These  will  be  published  in  other  forms,  for  the  special  benefit  of 
students  and  scientists. 

In  conclusion,  we  have  only  to  express  our  thanks  to  those 
who  have  kindly  assisted  us  by  supplying  original  documents, 
official  or  other  information,  and  facilitating  our  work  by  grate- 
fully remembered  courtesies. 

Among  those  to  whom  we  are  greatly  indebted  are  Hon.  George 
M.  Kobeson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy;  Hon.  John  G.  Schumacher, 
of  Brooklyn;  Prof  Spencer  'r\  Baird,  of  Washington;  Dr.  I.  I. 
Hayes,  of  New  York ;  Mr,  A  chibald,  British  Consul  at  New 
York;  Col.  Jas.Lupton,  Washington,  D.C.  5  Messrs.  J. Carson  Bre- 
voort,  and  S.  B.  Noyes,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  Messrs.  H,  E,  Bond, 
T.  W.  Perkins,  E.  W.  White,  and  Mr.  Barnes,  of  New  London,  Ct. 

Others  might  be  named  but  for  whose  kindly  offices  our  labors 
would  have  been  greatly  embarrassed ;  and,  if  their  names  do  not 
illumine  this  page,  they  have  none  the  less  shed  a  bright  and 
cheering  light  on  our  progress  from  the  earliest  inception  of  this 
work  to  its  end,  and  their  many  courtesies  will  ever  dwell  in  our 
grateful  remembrance.  E.  V.  B. 

Broolchjn,  January  1,  1874. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTORY   CHATTER. 

The  Northern  Sphinx. — Arctic  Nomenclature. — Geographical  Mistakes. — The  Ily- 
j)erboreans. — The  Pre-Columbian  Era. — Frobi.sher's  Gold. — Gilliert  and  Others. — 
Henry  Hudson.  — Russian  E.xplorers.  — Government  Rewards.  — Early  American 
Enterprise. — Tlie  Whaler  Scoiesb*-. — Remarkable  Land  Journeys. — Combined  Sea 
and  Land  Explorations. — The  Era  of  Modern  Discoveries. — Pairy's  Drift. — Steam 
first  used  in  the  Arctic  Seas.  — The  Magnetic  I'ole  fixed.  —  Back's  Discoveries. — 
Dease  and  Simpson. — Rae  on  Boothia. — Sir  John  Franklin's  Last  Expedition. — 
Relief  Parties. — A  glorious  Spectacle. — First  Grinnell  Expedition. — Ten  Explor- 
ing Vessels  meet  at  Beechey  Island. — Dr.  Kane. — Rumors  of  Cannibalism. — The 
J^roblem  of  the  North-west  Passage  solved. — Bellot. — Obtuseness  of  the  British 
Naval  Board. — Providential  Mental  Coercion. — Tiie  Forlorn  Hope. — Dr.  Hayes. — 
Profit  and  Loss. — What  is  the  Use  of  Arctic  Explorations? — Remote  Advantages. 
—  Ancient  Gradgrinds.  —  Arctic  F.iilures  and  Successes.  —  Unexplored  Area. — 
Modern  Chivalry. — A  pure  Ambition Fage  ly 

CHAPTER  II. 
CAPTAIN  Tyson's  early  arctic  experience. 

Captain  Tyson's  Reflections  on  the  Ice-floe. — Nativity. — Early  Life. — Ships  as  a 
Whaier. — Death  of  Shipmate.— Arrives  at  the  Greenland  Seas. — The  "Middle 
Ice." — The  "North  Water." — First  Sight  of  Esquimaux. — The  Danes  in  Green- 
land.— The  Devil's  Thumb. — Meets  De  Haven. — Whales  and  their  Haunts. — A 
prolonged  Struggle  with  a  Whale. — Sailors'  Tricks. — Cheating  the  Mollimokes. — 
Young  Tyson  volunteers  to  winter  asliore  at  Cumberland  Gulf. — The  Pet  Seal. — 
Life  Ashore. — Relieved  by  the  True  Love. — Is  taken  to  England. —  Returns  to 
the  Arctic  Regions. — Siglits  the  abandoned  British  Ship  Resolute. — With  three 
Companions  boards  the  Resolute. — Finds  W^ine  in  the  Glasses. — All  have  a  good 
Time. — Don  the  Officers'  Uniforms. — Retums  to  his  Ship. — Ships  as  Second  Mate 
in  the  (ieurge  Henry. — As  First  Officer. — As  Captain  of  the  Brig  Georgiana. — 
Meets  Captain  Charles  F.  Ilall.  — Witnesses  and  tries  to  prevent  the  Loss  of  the 
Rescue. — Sails  as  Master  of  the  Orray  Taft,  of  New  Bedford. — Of  the  Antelope. 
— Sails  to  Repulse  Bay,  and  takes  the  first  Whale  captured  in  those  Waters. — 
Again  meets  Captain  Hall,  and  supplies  him  with  a  Boat. — Peculiar  Electrical 
Phenomena  at  Repulse  Bay. — Sails  in  the  Top-sail  Schooner  Era. — Meets  Cap- 
tain Hall,  then  "in  training  "  with  the  Esquimaux. — Log-book  Records. — Winters 
ashore  at  Niountelik  Harbor. — Removes  from  New  London  to  Brooklyn. — Sails  in 
the  Polaris  as  Assistant  Navigator 75 


8  COXTEXTS. 

rilAPTEH  III. 

THK    I'OI.aRIS    KXI'KIMTION. 

The  North  Polar  Expedition  authorized  bv  Congress. — Captain  Halls  Commisision. 
— The  Periwinkle,  afterward  Polaris,  selected. — Letter  of  Captain  Ilall'M. — De- 
scription of  the  Steamer  Polaris. — Liberal  Supplies. — A  patent  t'anvas  Boat. — 
Books  presented  by  J.  Carson  IJrevoort. — A  r.haracteristic  Letter  of  Captain 
Hall's. — An  Invitation  to  visit  him  at  the  North  Pole Page  l(J<i 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Polaris  put  into  Commission. — Official  Instructions  to  the  Commander. — Scien- 
tific Directions. — Let.er  of  Capta'n  Hall's. — List  of  the  Officers  and  Crew 107 

CHAPTER  V. 

BIOGRAI'IIICAL    SKKTCII    OF   CAPTAIN    IIALL. 

Nativity  and  early  Life  of  Charles  Francis  Hall. — Leaves  his  native  State  of  New 
Hampshire  and  settles  in  Ohio. — Takes  to  Journalism. — Attracted  by  ..  .rctic  Lit- 
erature.— Unsuccessful  Effort  to  join  M'Clintock. — Sails  for  the  Arctic  Rttjions  in 
the  George  Henry,  of  New  London. — The  Tender  Rest-ue  and  the  Expedition  Boat 
lost  in  a  Storm. — He  explores  Frobisher  Bay  and  Countess  of  Warwick  Sound. — 
Cf)llect8  Relics  of  Franklins  Exjjedition.  —  Returns  to  the  United  States. — His 
Theories  regarding  the  Franklin  Exjiedition. — Sails  for  the  North,  18C4,  in  the 
Bark  Monticello. — His  Discoveries. — Skeletons  of  Franklin's  Men  scattered  over 
King  William  Land. — Annual  Reports. — His  Life  with  the  Esquimaux. — Return 
to  the  Unitetl  States. — Physical  Appearance. — Mental  Traits. — In  the  Innuit  Land 
he  did  as  the  Innuits  do. — Persevering  P^ff'orts  to  organize  the  North  Polar  Expe- 
dition.— President  Grant  personally  interested. — "That  Historical  Flag.  ' — How 
he  would  know  when  he  got  to  the  Pole. — His  Premonitions. ^ — His  last  Dis- 
patch   113 

CHAPTER  VL 

Dr.  Emil  Bessel. — Sergeant  Frederick  Meyers, — Mr.  R.  W.  D.  Bryan.- -Sidney  O. 
Buddington. — Hubbard  C.  Chester. — Emil  S<human. — William  Morton. — Letter 
of  Captain  Hall's. — The  Polaris  sails. — Disaff"ection  on  Board. — Meets  the  Swed- 
ish Exploring  Expedition. — Favorable  condition  of  the  Ice. — United  States  Ship 
ConffT&is  arrives  at  Disco  with  Supplies  for  the  Polaris. — Insubordin;  tion  on  Board. 
— Captain  Hall's  Idiosyncrasy. — He  "  bids  A<'ieu  to  "V.  '^^ivilized  World  ', ...  12!> 

CHAPTER  VIL 

NOTES    BY   CAPTAIN    TYSON    ON    BOAKD    THE    POLARIS. 

Captain  Tyson's  Soliloquy  on  leaving  Harbor. — A  Thunder-storm. — Arrive  at  St. 
Johns. — Icebergs  in  Sight. — I{eligious  Services  on  board  the  Polaris  by  Dr.  Ne'v- 
man,  of  W^ashington.  —  Prayer  at  Sea.  —  Esquimau  Hans,  with  Wife,  Children, 
and  "  Vermin,''  taken  on  board. — Firing  at  Walrus. — The  Sailing-master  wants  to 
stop  at  Port  Foulk. — The  Polaris  passes  Kane's  Winter-cjuarters. — An  impassable 
Barrier  of  Ice. — Misleading  Charts. — The  open  Polar  Sea  recedes  from  Sight. — 


CONTENTS.  0 

Afraid  of  "Symme's  Hole." — Polaris  enters  liobeson  Channel. — Surrounded  by 
Icefields. — Comicil  of  Officers.  —  I'lierile  Fears. — Sir  Edward  Belcher. — The  Ameri- 
can Elag  raised  on  "Hall  Land." — Seeking  a  Harbor. — Kejadse  Harbor. — Thank 
God  Harbor. — Providence  Berg. — Housing  the  Ship  for  Winter-quartern  .Page  141 

CH.a'TER  VIII. 

A  Ilunting-party. — A  cold  Survey. — Description  of  Coast-hills. — A  Musk-ox  shot. — 
Landing  Provisions. — Arctic  Foxes. — Captain  Hall  prepares  for  a  Sledge-journey. 
— Conversation  with  Captain  Tyson. — Off  at  last. — Captain  Hall  "forgets  some- 
thing.'— Twenty  "somethings." — The  Sun  disappears. — Banking  the  Ship....  152 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Putting  Provisions  Ashore. — Return  of  Captain  Hall. — "  Prayer  on  leaving  the 
Ships." — Captain  Hall  taken  Sick. — What  was  seen  on  his  Sledge-journey.— Apo- 
plexy ?—M'Clintocks  Engineer — Death  of  Captain  Hall. — A  strange  Itemark. — 
Preparing  the  Grave. — The  Funeral. — "I  walk  on  with  my  lantern." — Thus  end 
his  ambitious  Projects 159 

CHAPTER  X. 

Captain  Buddington  passes  to  the  Command. — Scientific  Observations. — The  first 
Aurora  of  the  Season. — Sunday  Prayers  discontinued. — Dr.  Bessel  Storm-bound 
in  the  Observatory. — Meyers  to  the  Rescue. — An  Arctic  Hurricane. — Fast  to  the 
Iceberg. — Sawing  through  the  Ice. — Electric  Clouds. — Pressure  of  Floe-ice. — The 
Iceljerg  splits  in  two. — The  Polaris  on  her  Beam-ends. — Hannah,  Ilans's  Wife, 
and  the  Children  put  Ashore 1G6 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Thanksgiving. — A  Paraselene. — Dr.  Bessel's  bad  Luck. — "It  is  very  dark  now." — 
Oppressive  Silence  of  the  Arctic  Night. — The  Voracity  of  Shrimps. — "In  Hall's 
Time  it  was  Heaven  to  this." — A  natural  Gentleman. — No  Service  on  Christmas. 
— The  Polaris  rises  and  falls  with  the  Tide.^Futile  Blasting. — The  New  Year. — 
Atmospheric  Phenomena. — The  Twilight  brightens.  —  Trip  to  Cape  Lupton. — 
Height  of  the  Tides  at  Thank  G.d  Harbor 169 

CHAPTER  Xn. 

An  impressive  Discussion. — Daylight  gains  on  the  Night. — Barometer  drops  like  a 
Cannon-ball. — Four  mock  Moons. — Day  begins  to  look  like  Day. — The  F'ox-traps. 
— The  Sun  re-appears  after  an  Absence  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  Days. — 
Mock  Suns. — Spring  coming.— An  Exploring-party  in  Search  of  Cape  Constitution. 
— A  Bear-fight  with  Dogs. — New  light  on  Cartography. — Tired  of  canned  Meat .  1 74 

CHAPTER  XIIL 

Sledge  vf.  Boat. — What  Chester  would  do  when  he  got  Home. — Photographing  a 
Failure. — Off  on  a  Sledge-jouniey  with  Mr.  Meyers,  Joe.  and  Hans. — Habits  of 


10  CONTENTS. 

the  Musk -cattle. — Peculiar  strategic  Position. — Encounter  a  Herd. — IIow  the 
Young  are  concealed. — Dull  Sport. — Newman  Bay. — Preparing  for  Boat-jour- 
neys.— What  does  he  mean? — ("limatie  Changes. — (ilaciers. — Wonderful  Sports- 
men,— The  Ice  thick  and  huinmocky. — A  dangerous  Leak Page  17t> 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Two  Boat-parties  arranged. — A  Disaster. — Chester's  Boat  crushed  in  the  Ice. — The 
"  Historical  Flag"  lost. — Chester  takes  tlie  patent  Canvas  Boat. — Captain  Tyson's 
Boat-party.  —  Jieach  Newman  Bay. — Dr.  Besscl's  Snow-hlindness. — Drift-wood. 
— Extinct  Glaciers. — Unfavorable  Condition  of  the  Ice. — A  Proposal  rejected. — 
Keturn  to  the  Ship 18.5 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Engineer's  Report. — A  new  Inscription. — A  gentle  Awakening. — Providence  Berg 
disrupted. — Having  "enough  of  it." — Lost  Opportunities. — Tiie  Advent  of  little 
Esquimau  "Charlie  Polaris."  —  Beset  near  (^ape  Fra/ier.  —  Alcohol  Master. — 
Interruption  of  his  morning  "Nip." — Drifting  with  the  Hoe. — Pack-ice  in  Smith 
Sound. — The  Oil-boiler. — The  bearded  Seal. — Preparations  for  spending  another 
Winter  m  the  Nor^h. — A  south-westerly  Gale I'JO 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

JOURNAL  OF  OEORGK  E.  TYSOS,   ASSISTANT  NAVIGATOR  ON  UNITED  STATES  STEAMER 
I'OLARIS,  KEIT  ON  THE  ICE-FLOE. 

Adrift. — The  fatal  Ice  Pressure.  —  "Heave  every  thing  Overl)oard  !"  —  The  Ship 
breaks  away  in  the  Darkness. — Cliildren  in  the  Ox-skins. — First  Night  adrift. — 
Snowed  under. — Roll-call  on  the  Ice-floe. — Ett'orts  to  regain  the  Ship. — The  Po- 
laris coming! — A  terrible  Disappointment. — Tlie  overladen  Boat. — Three  Oars, 
and  no  Rudder. — The  Ice  breaks  beneath  us. — Drifting  to  the  South-west. — Re- 
gain the  large  P'loe. — Hope  of  regaining  the  Polaris  abandoned. — Building  Huts. 
— Native  Igloos. — Estimating  Provisions. — Locality  of  the  Separation. — Meyers's 
and  Tyson's  Opinion. — Two  Meals  a  Day. — Mice  in  the  Chocolate. — Too  cold  for 
a  Watch. — Too  weak  to  stand  firmly. — Hans  kills  and  eats  two  Dogs. — Natives 
improvident. — Lose  Sight  of  the  Sun. — The  Dogs  follow  the  Food H)7 

CHAPTER  XVIL 

A  vain  Hunt  for  Seal. — Pemm'can. — The  Dogs  stariing. — Blow-holes  of  the  Seal. — 
Mode  of  Capture. — Sight  Cary  Island. — Hans  mistaken  for  a  Bear. — Down  with 
Rheumatism. — One  Boat  used  for  Fuel. — The  Children  crying  with  Hunger. — Joe 
the  best  Man. — The  Bread  walks  off". — One  square  Meal. — Bear  and  Fox-tracks. — 
EfTectg  of  lax  Discipline. — Joe  and  Hannah. — Our  Thanksgiving-dinner ,  215 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Can  see  the  Land. — Ilans's  Hut. — Nearly  dark  :  two  Hours  of  Twilight. — Economiz- 
ing Paper. — Northern  Lights. — Lying  still  to  save  Food. — "All  Hair  and  Tail." 
— Weighing  out  Rations  by  Oimces. — Heavy  Ice  goes  with  the  Current. — The  Es- 


CONTENTS.  11 

quimaux  afraid  of  Cannibalism. — Fox-trap. — Set  a  Seal-net — Great  ResponsibiU 
ity,  but  little  Authority. — All  well,  but  hungry. — The  fear  of  Death  starved  and 
frozen  out  of  me. — The  shortest  and  darkest  JJay. — Christmas Page  225 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Taking  account  of  Stock. — Hope  lies  to  the  Sor'h. — Eating  Seal-skin. — Find  it  very 
tough. — How  to  divide  a  Seal  a  la  Escpiimau. — Give  the  Baby  the  P>es. — Differ- 
ent Species  of  Seal. — New-yea's  Day,  1873. — Economizing  our  Lives  away. — Just 
see  the  Western  Shore. — "I'lenty  at  Disco." — Thirty-six  below  Zero. — Clothing 
disappears. — A  glorious  Sound.  —  "Kyack!  Kyackl"  —  Starvation  postponed. — 
Thoroughly  frightened. --Little  Tobias  sick. — Oh,  for  a  sound-headed  Man! — 
Four  ounces  for  a  Meal. — The  Sun  re-appears  after  an  Absence  of  eighty-three 
Days 234 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Belated  Joe. — Wrong  Calculations. — Drift  past  Disco. — Beauty  of  the  Northern 
Constellations. — Hans  unreliable. — "Where  liuni  and  Tobacco  grow." — Forty 
below  Zero. — An  impolite  Visitor. — One  hundred  and  third  Day  on  the  Ice. — Per- 
severance of  the  Natives  in  hunting. — Hans  loses  a  good  Dog. — Beautiful  Aurora. 
— The  Mercury  freezes. — Too  cold  for  the  Natives  to  himt. — A  little  Blubber  left. 
— Trust  in  Providence. — Effects  of  Refraction. — Relieving  Parties  on  the  Ice. — 
Our  Lunch,  Seal-skin  with  the  Hair  on. — A  natural  Death. — One  hundred  and 
seven  Days  without  seeing  printed  Words 246 

CHAPTER  XXL 

A  solemn  Entry  made  in  the  Journal,  in  View  of  Death. — More  Security  on  the  Ice- 
floe than  on  board  the  Polaris. — Eating  the  Offal  of  better  Days. — Tobias  very 
low. — Anticipations  of  a  Break-up.  ^Hope. — -foe,  Hannah,  and  little  I'nney. — "I 
am  so  himgry." — An  interior  View  of  Hans'sIIut;  his  Family. — Talk  about  reach- 
ing the  Land. — Inexperience  of  the  Men  misleads  their  Judgment 259 

CHAPTER  XXIL 

Dreary,  yet  beautiful. — The  Formation  of  Icebergs. — ^Where  and  how  they  grow. — 
Variety  of  Form  and  History. — "The  Land  of  Desolation." — Strength  failing. — 
Travel  and  Rations. — Unhealthy  Influence  of  mistaken  Views. — Managing  a  Kyack 
on  young  Ice. — Secures  the  Seal. — "Clubbing  their  Loneliness."'— Poor  little  Pu- 
ney's  Amusement. — Any  Thing  good  to  eat  that  don't  poison. — Narwhals,  or  Sea- 
uniooiTis. — A  royal  Seat. — Hans  criticised. — Cleaning  House. — "Pounding-day." 
— Our  Carpet. ^Lunching  by  the  Yard  on  Seal's  Entrails. — "Oh I  give  me  my 
Harpoon." — No  Clothing  fit  to  hunt  in. — Inventory  of  Wardrobe. — Narwhals  use- 
ful in  carrying  off  Ball  and  Ammunition. — Pleasant  Sensations  in  Retrospect. — 
The  Skin  of  the  Nose. — Castles  in  the  Air. — Violent  Gale  and  Snow-storm. — Dig- 
ging out. — Three  Feet  square  for  Exercise. — Dante's  Ice-hell 266 

CHAPTER  XXIIL 

Patching  up  Clothes.— Captain  Hall's  Rifle.— Cutting  Fresh-water  Ice  for  Drink. — 
Salt-water  Ice  to  season  Soup. — Four  months'  Dirt. — Sun  Revelations. — "You  are 
nothing  but  Bone."— That  chronic  Snow-drift. — Sei.!-flipper  for  Lunch. — Watch- 
ing a  Seal-hole.— Eating  his  "Jacket."— Dovekies.— The  Solace  of  a  Smoke.— 
Native  Mode  of  cleansing  Co(^king  Utensils.— The  West  Coast  in  Sight.— Joe's 


12  CONTENTS, 

Valuation  of  Seals. — Prospects  dark  and  gloomy. — Bill  falls  Overboard. — Death 
to  the  I'ront. — Evidences  of  Weakness. — The  Natives  alarmed.  —  Washington's 
Birthday. — A  novel  Sledge. — The  "right  Way  of  the  Hair." — Discussions  about 
reaching  Shore Page  279 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Decide  to  make  the  Attempt. — Foiled  by  successive  Snow-storms. — Down  to  one 
scant  Afeal  a  Day. — Land  thirty-five  Miles  off. — God  alone  can  help  us. — Canary- 
bird  nations. — Bear-tracks. — A  Bird  Supper. — A  Monster  Oogjook. — Six  or  sev- 
en hundred  Pounds  of  fresh  Meat!  Thirty  Gallons  of  Oil  I — Oogjook  Sausage. — 
Our  Huts  resemble  Slaughter  houses. — Hands  and  Faces  smeared  with  Blood. — 
Content  restored. — Taking  Observations. — Out  of  the  Weed. — A  I'resent  from 
Joe. — Heat  of  Esquimaux  Huts. — Desponding  Thoughts. — "So  I  sit  and  dream 
of  Plans  for  Keleasc.'' — Terrific  Noises  portend  the  breaking  up  of  the  Floe. — An 
unbroken  Sea  of  Ice. — Hans  Astray  again. — That  "Oogjook  Liver." — The  Stew- 
ard convinced. — An  Ice-quake  in  the  Night. — The  Floe  breaks  twenty  yards  from 
the  Hut. — Floe  shattered  into  hundreds  of  Pieces. — Sixty  Hours  of  Ice,  Turmoil, 
and  utter  Darkness. — The  "Floes"  become  a  "Pack." — Storm  abates. — Quietly 
Drifting. — A  Choice  for  Bradford. — Our  Domain  wearing  away. — Twenty  Pace-s 
only  to  the  Water. — Whistling  to  charm  an  Oogjook. — A  Kelapse  into  Barbar- 
ism   28t< 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

A  Bear  prospecting  for  a  Meal. — The  Ice  in  an  Uproar. — Seven  Seals  in  one  Day. — 
Spring  by  Date.— The  "Bladder -noses"  appear. — Ofi"  Hudson  Strait. — A  Bear 
comes  too  close. — A  lucky  Shot  in  the  Dark. — Description  of  I'rsiis  mnritimus. — 
Milk  in  the  young  Seal. — Fools  of  Fortune. — We  take  to  the  Boat. — Rig  W^ash- 
boards. — A  desperate  Struggle  to  keep  AHoat. — Alternate  between  Boat  and  Floe. 
— Striving  to  gain  the  west  Shore. — Dead-weights. — Ice  splits. — Joe's  Hut  carried 
off. — Rebuild  it. — Ice  splits  again,  and  destroys  Joe's  new  Hut. — Standing  ready 
for  a  Jump. — Our  Breakfast  goes  down  into  the  Sea. — No  Blubber  for  our  Lamps. 
—The  Ice  splits  once  more,  separating  Mr.  Meyers  from  the  I'arty.— We  stand 
hel|»less,  looking  at  each  other. — Meyers  unable  to  manage  the  Boat. — Joe  and 
Hans  go  to  his  Relief. — All  of  us  but  two  follow. — Springing  from  Piece  to  Piece 
of  the  Ice. — Meyers  rescued. — He  is  badly  frozen. — Mishaps  in  the  Water. — High 
Sea  running. — Washed  out  of  our  Tent  by  the  Sea. — Women  and  (liildren  stowed 
in  the  Boat. — Not  a  diy  Place  to  stand  on. — Ice  recloses. — Sea  subsides. — Land 
Birds  appear. — No  Seal. — Very  Hungry 30.". 

CHAPTER  XXVL 

Easter-Sunday. — Flashes  of  Divinity. — Meycrs's  Suffering  from  want  of  Food. — Men 
very  Weak. — Fearful  Thoughts. — A  timely  Relief. — Land  once  more  in  Sight. — 
Flocks  of  Ducks. — Grotesque  Misery. — A  S'atue  of  Famine. — A  desolating  Wave. 
— A  Foretaste  of  worse. — Manning  the  Boat  in  a  new  Fashion. — A  Battery  of 
Ice-blocks. — All  Night  "standing  by"  the  Boat. — A  fearful  Struggle  for  Life. — 
Worse  off  than  St.  Paul. — D.vylight  at  last. — Launched  once  more. — Watch  and 
Watch. — The  Sport  and  Jest  of  the  Elements. — Lack  of  Food, — Half  drowned, 


CONTENTS,  ii 

cold,  and  hungry. — Eat  dried  Skin  saved  for  Clothing. — A  Bear!  a  Bear! — Anx- 
ious Moments. — Poor  I'olar!  God  has  sentusp'ood. — Ilecuperating  on  Bear-meat. 
— A  crippled,  overloaded  Boat. — A  Battle  of  the  Bergs. — Shooting  young  Blad- 
der-noses,— Hoping  for  lielief, Page  317 

CHAPTER  XXVII, 

A  joyful  Sight  I — A  Steamer  in  View, — Lost  again, — She  disappears, — Once  more 
we  seek  liest  upon  a  small  Piece  of  Ice. — The  Hope  of  Rescue  keeps  us  awake, — 
Another  Steamer. — We  hoist  our  Colors,  muster  our  Fire-arms,  fire,  and  shout. — 
She  does  not  see  us.— She  falls  oft'. — Re -appears, — Gone  again. — Still  another 
Steamer. — Deliverance  can  .lot  be  far  off. — Another  Night  on  the  Ice. — Hans 
catches  a  Baby  Seal. — "There's  a  Steamer!" — Very  Foggy,  and  we  fear  to  lose 
her. — Hans  goes  for  her  in  his  Kyack. — She  approaches. — We  are  saved! — All 
safe  on  board  the  Tigress. — Amusing  Questions. — A  good  Smoke  and  a  glorious 
Breakfast. — Once  more  able  "to  wash  and  be  clean," — Boarded  by  Captain  De 
Lane,  of  the  Walrus. — Meyers  slowly  recovering, — A  severe  Gale, — Six  hundred 
Seals  killed. — Captain  Bartlett  heading  for  St,  Johns, — The  Esquimaux  Chil- 
dren the  "Lions," — Awaiting  the  Tailor, — Going  Home  in  the  United  States 
Steamship  Frolic 326 

CHAPTER  XXVIII, 

THE  8EABCH  FOB  THE  POLARIS  AND  THE  SURVIVORS  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

The  News  of  the  Rescue, — Captain  Tyson  and  Party  arrive  at  Washington, — Board 
of  Inquiry  organized. — Testimony  given  as  to  lax  Discipline. — The  Juniata,  Com- 
mander Braine,  dispatched,  with  Coal  and  Stores,  to  Disco. — Captain  James  Bud- 
dington,  Ice-pilot. — Captain  Braine's  Interview  with  Inspector  Karrup  Smith,  of 
North  Greenland. — Juniata  at  Upernavik. — Small  Steam-launch  Little  Juniata 
essays  to  cross  Melville  Bay. — Repelled  by  the  Ice. — President  Grant  in  Council 
with  Members  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences, — Purchase  of  the  Tigress. — 
Description  of  the  Vessel, — Necessary  Alterations. — List  of  (Jflicers. — Captain  Ty- 
son Acting  Lieutenant  and  Ice-pilot. — A  Reporter  to  the  New  York  Herald  ships 
as  ordinary  Seaman. — Esquimau  Joe  ships  as  Interpreter. — Several  Seamen  be- 
longing to  the  Ice-floe  Company  ship  in  the  Tigress. — Extra  Equipments 340 

CHAPTER  XXIX, 

The  Tigress,  Commander  Jamos  A,  Greer,  sets  sail,— Enthusiasm  at  her  Departure, 
— Hans  and  Family  as  Passengers,  —  "Knowledge  is  Power," — Amve  at  Tes- 
suisak.— Governor  Jansen, — Tigress  proceeds  North, — Approach  Northumberland 
Island.— Not  the  place  of  Separation. — Make  Littleton  Island.— Excitement  on 
Board  on  hearing  Human  Voices. — Encanijjment  of  the  Polaris  Survivors  found. 
— Commander  Greer's  Success, — Esquimaux  in  Possession  of  the  deserted  House, 
— Captain  Tyson's  Advice  to  seek  the  Whalers 350 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

CAPTAIN  Tyson's  cruise  in  the  tigress. 

Captain  Tyson's  Journal  on  board  the  Tigress.  —  "Too  late,"  —  Fire  training  on 
board. — Mai  de  mer. — A  tall  Story. — Angling  for  Porpoises  with  Pork. — A  nautic- 
al Joke. — Beware  of  the  Tigress. — Fog  at  Sea, — Naive  Comments  on  Icebergs. — 


14  CONTENTS. 

Tender  Hearts  among  the  Blue-jackets. — Illusions. — Aurora. — Whistling  to  fright- 
en the  Bergs. — Splendid  Northern  Lights. — Heavy  Gales. — The  Doctor's  Clerk. — 
Two  old  Whalers. — We  leave  Night  behind  us. — J'our  Hans's  Affliction. — Family 
returned  to  Greenland. — The  Tigress  pitching  and  -:  I'ing. — The  Fog-bknket. — 
Cheese  tor  Bait. — An  Iceberg  turns  a  Somersault. — A  beautiful  Display. — A 
slight  Accident. — Meet  the  Steam-launch. — (Jfficial  Correspondence  with  Com- 
mander Greer. — Ashore  at  Littleton  Island  and  Life-boat  Cove. — Sounding  for 
the  foundered  Polaris. — Abundance  of  Food  abandoned  by  the  Polaris  Sur- 
vivors  Page  350 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Homeward-bound. — Fire!  Fire  I — An  h-^nored  Custom. — Contrast  of  the  Sailor's 
Life. — A  Set-oif  to  the  Midnight  Sun. — Heavy  Gale. — All  want  to  shoot  a  Bear. — 
Executive  Officer  White  the  "killing"  Man.— A  narrow  Escape. — Thoughts  of 
Home. — At  Upernavik  for  Repairs.— The  Danish  and  half-breed  Girls. — Dress. — 
Dancing. — A  startling  Record. — AtGoodhavn  Harbor. — Captain  Tyson  visits  the 
Juniata. — Continued  bad  Weather. — Sight  Cape  Mercy. — The  Sea  sweeps  the  Gal- 
ley.— The  ("ook  disgusted. — Effects  of  the  Gale  in  the  Wardroom. — "At  home" 
in  Niountelik  Harbor,  Cumberland  Gulf 368 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

A  Change  for  the  better. — Repairing  Damages. — Company  in  the  Gulf. — Looking 
for  Scotch  Whalers. — The  Natives  bring  Deer-meat  to  the  Ship. — Arctic  Birds 
flying  South. — Captain  Hall's  old  Proteges. — Demoralization  of  the  Natives  of  the 
west  Coast. — Collecting  "Specimens." — Bad  Case  of  "Stone  Fever." — "Time 
and  Tide  wait  for  no  Man." — Billy's  Curiosities. — Captain  Tyson  meets  his  late 
Rescuer,  Captain  Bartlett. — Mica  Speculation. — Short  of  Coal. — How  we  lost  our 
Dinner. — A  saltatory  Dining-table. — Sight  a  Scotch  Whaler. — Arrival  at  Ivgi- 
tut,  South  Greenland. — Meet  the  Fox,  of  Arctic  Fame. — Kryolite,  Coal,  Fish, 
and  another  Gale. — Friend  Schnider,  the  fat  Dane. — Canaries,  Pigeons,  etc.,  do- 
mesticated here. — The  Crew  overworked. — A  Hurricane. — Antics  of  the  Furni- 
ture.— Force  of  Sea-waves 376 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

The  Gale  abates. — Consultation  as  to  Course. — Useless  Cruising. — Start  for  Home. 
— More  bad  Weather. — Land-birds  blown  out  to  Sea. — Reminiscences  of  the  Ice-floe 
Drift. — A  narrow  Escape. — A  black  Fog. — Interviewing  a  Hawk  at  the  Mast- 
head.— Arrive  at  St.  Johns. — News  of  the  Polaris  Party. — Return  to  Brooklyn. — 
What  the  Tigress  accomplished. — Lessons  in  Arctic  Navigation. — Braverj'  of  the 
Officers. — A  stormy  but  agreeable  Cruise 383 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THEORY  OF  NORTH  POLAR  CURRENTS. 

The  Hydrography  of  Smith  Sound. — The  Currents  forhid  the  Theory  of  an  "Open 
Polar  Sea." — Movements  of  the  Ice. — A  northern  Archipelago  a  reasonable  Sup- 
position. — Velocity  of  Current  along  the  east  and  west  Coasts.  —  No  Current  in 
the  Middle. — Experience  of  the  Polaris. — Absence  of  large  Bergs  in  Smith  Sound. 
— Open  nearly  all  Winter. — Radiant  Heat  preserved  by  Cloud  Strata. — Deflection 
of  the  Current  at  Cape  York. — Robeson  Channel  described. — Land  seen  from  the 


CONTENTS.  15 

Mast-head  both  east  and  west. — Coast -line  l>eyond  Cape  Union. — Two  Headlands 
to  the  east-north-east  of  Kepulse  Harbor. — Absence  of  Snow  on  Coast  of  North 
Greenland  above  Humboldt  Glacier. — Elevated  Tlateaus  in  the  Interior. — The 
Land  around  Polaris  Bay. — Clam-shells  at  an  Elevation  of  two  thousand  Feet. 
— Variegated  but  odorless  Flora. — Animal  Life. — Insects. — Skeletons  of  Musk- 
cattk Page  .388 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

How  to  reach  the  North  Pole. — Smith  Sound  the  true  Gate-way. — This  course  of- 
fers the  Alternative  of  Land  Travel. — Plenty  of  Game  in  Summer. — April  and 
May  the  Months  for  Sledging. — Proper  Model  of  Vessel's  Hull. — Twenty -five 
Men  enough. — A  Tender  necessary. — A  Depot  at  Port  Foulke  with  a  detail  of 
Men. — Ice  at  liensselaer  Harbor. — Avoid  I'aci-ice  in  Smith  Sound. — Go  direct 
for  west  Coast. — Form  Caches  at  intervals  of  fifty  Miles. — Deposit  Reserve  Boats. 
— Style  of  Traveling-sledge. — Native  preferred. — Selecting  Dogs. — Keep  them  well 
fed. — Keep  Sto'.ss  on  Deck. — Winter  as  far  north  as  the  Ship  can  get. — How  to 
get  out  of  a  Trap. — Provision  a  Floe,  and  trust  to  the  Current. — Take  yonr  Boats 
along. — Replenish  at  Caches. — Two  Months  from  a  high  Latitude  sufficient. — It 
will  yet  be  done 393 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE   FATE    OF   THE   POLARIS. 

The  Polaris  Survivors. — Ship  driven  to  the  North-east. — Her  Position  on  the  Night 
of  October  15. — Darkness  and  Confusion.  — Anchors  and  Boats  gone. — The  Leak 
gains. — Steam  up. — Roll-call  on  Board. — 7jOokout  for  the  Floe  Party. — Storm 
abated. — Inspection  of  Stores. — The  Polaris  fast  to  grounded  Hummocks. — "  Let 
her  fill  I" — Life-boat  Cove. — The  Polaris  left  a  Legacy  to  an  Esquimau  Chief. — 
She  founders  in  his  Sight 398 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

THE  FORTUNES  OF  THE  FOLARIS  SURVIVORS. 

Life  on  Shore. — A  House  built. — Visitors. — Womanly  Assistance. — Scientific  Ob- 
servations.— Amusements. —  Old  Myoney.  —  Hunting. — Boat  built. — Starting  r^r 
Home. — A  Summer-trip. — Sight  a  Vessel. — Rescue  by  Captain  Allen,  of  the  Ra- 
venscraig. — Romance  of  the  Polaris  Expedition. — Safe  Arrival  of  all  the  ^un'ivors 
at  New  York. — Consul  MoUoy 402 

-  CHAPTER  XXXVm. 

SCIENTIFIC   NOTES. 

The  Pacific  Tidal  Wave. — Meteorological  and  Magnetic  Records. — Glaciers. — Fauna. 
— Entomology. — Flora 410 

Appendix 423 

Index 481 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


-  V  .  Paob 

A  FEARFUL  STRCGGLE  FOR  LIFE Frontispiece. 

TRACK    OF    THE    POLARIS,   AND    VELOCITY    OF    CURRENTS Map. 

SEBASTIAN  CABOT 26 

HALL   DISCOVERING   FROBISHER   RELICS 28 

BARENTZ'S    WINTER-QUARTERS 29 

HENRY   HUDSON 31 

BARON  VON  WRANGEL 33 

WILLIAM  SCORESBY 36 

CAPTAIN    PARRY 39 

SIR  JOHN   ROSS 46 

SIR   JOHN    FRANKLIN 52 

ADVANCE  AND   RESCUE 57 

ARCTIC  DISCOVERY  SHIPS 58 

FINDING   REMAINS    OF    SKELETONS   IN   A    BOAT 65 

DR.  KANE 68 

DR.  HAYES 70 

ESQUIMAU  woman's    KNIFE , 74 

CAPTAIN  TYSON 76 

CAPTURING  THE  SEAL 79 

CONGRESS  AND  POLARIS  AT  GOODHAVN 82 

THE  "devil's   thumb" 84 

eider-ducks 88 

"every  thing  presented  a  mouldy  appearance" 94 

the  polaris 101 

a  snow-squall 106 

charles  francis  hall 114 

joe,  hannah,  and  child 118 

RELICS   OF    franklin's    EXPEDITION 120 

FAC-SIMILE    OF   CAPTAIN    HALL's    WRI-'ING 128 

DR.  EMIL   BESSEL 129 

SIDNEY   O.   BUDDINGTON 130 

HUBBARD    C.   CHESTER 131 

EMIL   SCHUMAN 132 

WILLIAM   MORTON 133 

UPERNAVIK 138 

THE   FISCANAES   PILOT 143 

ICE   BREAKING   UP 151 

POLARIS  AT  CAPE  LUPTON — WINTER-QUARTERS,  1871-72 152 

CAPTAIN  hall's  SLEDGE-JOURNEY 156 


18  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Paoc 

gothic  icebkrg 158 

burial  of  captaik  hall 164 

HEAD  AND  ANTLKRS  OF  THF:  ARCTIC  REINIJ    ER 173 

SEALS 178 

MUSK-OX 180 

ESQUIMAU    DCO 184 

ARCTIC  WOLVES 189 

OBAVE   OF   CAPTAIN   HALL 190 

THE   LUMME  OF  THE   NORTH 196 

"the    ship   broke   away   IN  THE  DARKNESS,  AND  WE  LOST  SIGHT  OF  HER  IN 

A  moment" 199 

NATIVE  LAMP 210 

THE    GREAT    AUK 214 

JOE  WATCHING  SEAL-HOLE 216 

A  PERILOUS  SITUATION 224 

AN   AURORA 227 

PLACING   STORES   ON   THE    ICE 233 

CAPTAIN  TYSON    IN    HIS    ARCTIC   COSTUME 239 

GOING   THROUGH  AN  ICEBERG 245 

HANS,  WIFE,  AUGUSTINA,  AND  TOBIAS 249 

ARCTIC   HOSPITALITY 258 

HANNAH  AND   JOE    PLAYING   CHECKERS 262 

SURROUNDED   BY   ICEBERGS 265 

HANS    GOING   FOR  A    SEAL   ON   YOUNG  ICE 270 

NARWHAL 273 

BREAKING  UP  OF  ICE-RAFT 300 

AN  ESQUIMAU    PILOT 304 

OOMIAK,  OR  woman's    BOAT 316 

ICE-DRIFT   OF  THE  TY'SON  PARTY 327 

THE  RESCUE 329 

THE    COMPANY    WHO   WERE   ON   THE   ICE-DRIFT   WITH   CAPTAIN   TYSON 338 

THE    JUNIATA 342 

THE  TIGRESS... 345 

GOVERNOR   JATTSEN   AND    FAMILY 352 

POLARIS  CAMP,  1872-73 3.'>4 

SCENE    IN   SOUTHERN   GREENLAND 367 

ENCAMPMENT    NEAR  IVGITUT 375 

KRYOLITE  MINE 380 

A   SUMMER   ENCAMPMENT 401 

XHB  LATEST   STYLE 409 


M 


1 


EXPLANATION 

Oiitirdnl  Track  of  l.S.S.rolarU 
Hetiirn       " 
Direction  of  CurrentH  ■ 


Thi^  figurtu  in  Smith  fvjund.Kdiri'iIy  ,  »tii1 
Holiettnn  Channtria,  indicate  the  ^>' 
I  >rity  of  tlie  currents />«r  Axmf*       \ 


% 


rF^^^vji  1 


7S- 


18 


63 


i:nff.ty  Kilt  &8e€,N.  Y. 


MAP  SUOWniO  THK  TBAOK  OF  UNITKD  STATES  6TEAMEB  "  POLARIS,"  AM)  TELOOITY  OF  OTTBBENTS. 


ARCTIC   EXPERIENCES 


BY 


LAND   AND    SEA. 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER 

The  Northern  Sphinx. — Arctic  Nomenclature. — Geographical  Mistakes. — The  Hy- 
perboreans.— The  Pre-C'olumbian  Era. — Frobish  ;r's  Gold. — Gilbert  and  Others. — 
Henry  Hudson.  — Russian  Explorers.  — Government  Rewards.  — Early  American 
Enteri)rise. — The  Whaler  Scoresby. — Remarkable  Land  Journeys. — Combined  Sea 
and  Land  Explorations. — The  Era  of  Modern  Discoveries. — Parry's  Drift. — Steam 
first  used  in  the  Arctic  Seas.  — The  Magnetic  Pole  fixed.  — Back's  Discoveries. — 
Dense  and  Simpson. — Rae  on  Boothia. — Sir  John  Franklin's  Last  Expedition. — 
Relief  Parties. — A  glorious  Spectacle. — First  Grinnell  Expedition. — Ten  Explor- 
ing Vessels  meet  at  Beechey  Island. — Dr.  Kane. — Rumors  of  Cannibalism. — The 
Problem  of  the  North-west  Passage  solved. — Bellot. — Obtuseness  of  the  British 
Naval  Board. — Providential  Mental  Coercion. — Tiie  Forlorn  Hope. — Dr.  Hayes. — 
Profit  ana  Loss. — W.'iat  is  the  Use  of  Arctic  Explorations  ? — Remote  Advantages. 
—  Ancient  Gradgrinds.  —  Arctic  Failures  and  Successes.  —  Unexplored  Area.  — 
Modern  Chivalry, — A  pure  Ambition. 

The  invisible  Sphinx  of  the  uttermost  North  still  protects  with 
jealous  vigilance  the  arcana  of  her  ice-bound  mystery.  Her  fin- 
gers still  clutch  with  tenacious  grasp  the  clue  which  leads  to  her 
coveted  secret ;  ages  have  come  and  gone ;  generations  of  heroic 
men  have  striven  and  failed,  wrestling  with  Hope  on  the  one  side 
and  Death  on  the  other ;  philosophers  have  hypothesized,  some- 
times truly,  but  often  with  misleading  theories :  she  still  clasps, 
in  solemn  silence,  the  riddle  in  her  icy  palm  —  remaining  a  fas- 
cination and  a  hope,  while  persistently  baffling  the  reason,  the 
skill,  and  the  courage  of  man. 

Skirmishers  have  entered  at  the  outer  portals,  and  anon  re- 
treated, bearing  back  with  them  trophies  of  varying  value.  Whole 
divisions,  as  of  a  grand  army,  have  approached  her  domains  with 
all  the  paraphernalia  of  a  regular  siege,  and  the  area  of  attack 


20  AKCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

been  proportionably  widened ;  important  breaches  have  been  ef- 
fected, the  varied  fortunes  of  war  befalling  the  assailants;  some 
retaining  possession  of  the  fields  they  have  won;  some  falling 
back  with  but  small  gain;  others,  with  appalling  loss  and  death, 
have  vainly  sought  escape  and  safety  from  her  fatal  toils.  Nor 
has  the  citadel  been  won.  "  Undiscovered"  is  still  written  over 
the  face  of  the  geographical  pole. 

Yet  as  brave  men  as  ever  trod  the  earth  or  sailed  the  wide  salt 
seas  have  time  and  again  returned  to  the  encounter,  defying  this 
Polar  tyrant,  who  hurls  from  her  mysterious  abode  the  vengeful 
storms  of  wind  and  hail  and  snow;  smiting  some  with  ice-blind- 
ness, and  others  with  the  dread  consuming  scurvy;  while  others 
still  she  decoys  into  the  perils  of  a  frozen  solitude  whence  there 
is  no  return,  and  the  terrors  of  starvation  meet  them ;  for  still  others 
she  spreads  the  treacherous  crevasse,  or  sets  upon  them  the  cruel, 
unpitying  savage;  while  the  rotting  ribs  of  noble  vessels  lie  scat- 
tered through  all  her  borders.  Worst  fate  of  all,  some  noble  souls 
have  been  sent  empty-handed  back,  to  die  of  disappointed  hof>es, 
and  grand  ambitions  quenched !  Uitherto  repulsing  all — victor 
over  all  —  save  the  indomitable  will;  but  that,  enduring,  man 
shall  yet  overcome  even  the  terrific  elemental  forces  with  which 
she  defends  her  domain. 

For,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  while  she  defies,  she  tempts; 
while  baffling  efibrt,  she  encourages  hope;  while  foiling  the 
bravest,  she  holds  out  inducement  to  renewed  attack.  As  with 
one  hand  uplifted,  she  swears,  "  ilitberto  shalt  thou  come,  and  no 
further,"  with  the  other  she  beckons  delusively  to  the  next  aspir- 
ant. So  that  each  brave  enthusiast  says  to  himself,  "  I  shall  con- 
quer— she  has  betrayed  all  others;  I  shall  win;"  and  thus  the 
hope  of  final  success  never  has  been  and  never  will  be  quenched, 
until  full  fruition  satisfies  the  questionings  of  science  and  the  long- 
ings of  adventure. 

That  we  may  be  the  better  prepared  to  judge  what  will  be  the 
future  of  Arctic  exploration,  we  will  take  a  retrospective  view  of 
what  the  ancient  mariners  of  other  centuries  have  accomplished, 
and  what  the  scientists  of  our  own  age  have  endured,  in  the  hopes 
of  solving  the  Polar  mystery.  And  we  may  be  assured  that  ter- 
rors which  could  not  repel  the  little  shallops  of  the  early  advent- 
urei-s,  will  not  dismay  the  better-equipped  explorers  of  the  pres- 
ent and  the  future. 


COMPLICATIONS.  21 

ARCTIC  NOMENCLATURE. 

But  it  is  well  to  premise  that,  unless  the  reader  is  familiar  with 
the  details  of  Arctic  explorations,  he  is  very  apt  to  get  bewilder- 
ed with  the  mixed  nomenclature  which  he  encounters,  with  each 
successive  publication;  and  this  is  no  fault  of  the  authors,  but  the 
result  of  peculiar  circumstances  and  conflicting  vanities,  added 
to  the  fact  that  the  Arctic  region  is  unlike  every  other  portion  of 
the  earth,  except  its  southern  antipodes,  in  the  fact  that  much  of 
its  surface,  both  land  and  water,  has  no  aboriginal  names,  being 
destitute  of  inhabitants;  while  those  places  which  have  received 
names  from  successive  explorers  have,  in  many  instances,  been 
given  titles  unknown  to  the  old  geographers. 

This  has  sometimes  arisen  from  the  fact  that  what  has  been 
named  as  an  island  turns  out,  on  more  accurate  survey,  to  be  a 
peninsula,  or  a  portion  of  the  main-land,  and,  of  course,  the  re- 
verse experience  is  liable  to  occur.  What  some  early  voyager  has 
called  a  strait  or  a  channel,  a  later  explorer  determines  to  be  a 
bay,  and  then  that  gets  a  new  name.  But  what  complicates  the 
Polar  geography  and  hydrography  much  more  than  these  simple 
reversals  of  contour  or  superior  accuracy,  results  from  the  prac- 
tice— especially  with  modest  travelers,  of  naming  their  discoveries 
for  friends  and  patrons — often  obscure  in  every  thing  but  wealth: 
and  then,  later  in  history,  the  explorer's  own  name  is  considered 
more  suitable,  and  influential  admirers  bring  it  to  the  front  and 
affix  it,  like  the  writing  on  an  ancient  palimpsest,  over  those  which 
he  selected — the  patron's  name  giving  way,  with  various  prefixes 
or  suffixe3,  to  that  of  the  discoverer. 

Thus  one  needs  to  be  familiar  with  each  successive  addition  to 
Arctic  literature;  indeed,  to  be  able  to  carry  in  the  mind's  eye 
the  contour  of  headlands,  islands,  shore  lines,  gulfs,  bays,  and  riv- 
ers, in  order  to  be  enabled  to  trace  the  minuter  history  and  daily 
movements  of  any  particular  party.  To  exemplify.  In  a  map 
published  in  a  work  on  Arctic  affairs,  just  previous  to  Parry's 
first  voyage,  Baffin  Bay  was  treated  as  a  "  phantom,"  and  found 
no  place,  though  it  had  been  accurately  described  by  the  dis- 
coverer. In  the  chart  furnished  to  Sir  John  Franklin,  in  1845, 
the  name  of  Barrow  Strait  is  given  to  all  the  water-course  extend- 
ing from  Lancaster  Sound  to  Banks  Land.  In  a  map  drawn  from 
official  documents,  published  by  J.  Arrowsmith,  of  London,  in 


22  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES, 

1857,  we  have  this  same  water  subdivided  into  Barrow  Strait, 
Parry  Sound,  and  M'Clure  Strait;  while  in  "Monteitb's  Phys- 
ical Atlas,"  dated  1866,  we  find  Melville  Strait  substituted  for 
Parry  Sound;  and,  instead  of  M'Clure  Strait,  Banks  Strait  and 
M'Clintock  Channel;  while  in  "Guyot's  Atlas"  Baffin  Land  sup- 
pleinent'4  and  obliterates  Cockburn  Land,  What  were  former- 
ly called  the  Parry  Lslands  are  now  termed  the  Arctic  Archipel- 
ago; and  the  new  edition  of  "  Appleton's  Cyclopedia"  has  changed 
the  well-known  Pond  Bay  of  the  whalers  to  Eclipse  Sound, 
In  many  English  maps  Grinnell  Land  is  called  Albert  Land,  it 
being  so  named  by  Captain  Penny,  who  did  not  know  that  De 
Haven  had  been  before  him ;  and  the  error,  though  sufficiently 
exposed,  has  been  persisted  in.  Thus  the  whole  Arctic  regi'.'ns 
have  been  subjected  to  a  continued  change  of  nomenclature,  and, 
of  course,  where  hundreds  of  names  are  concerned,  a  familiar 
knowledge  of  events,  and  great  care  in  transcription  is  requisite 
to  a  clear  understanding  of  the  position  of  a  given  party  at  a  defi- 
nite period.  Without  such  circumspection,  writers  on  Arctic  af- 
fairs are  apt  to  sadly  confuse  their  narratives  and  bewilder  their 
readers. 

Then,  too,  voyagers  themselves  make  mistakes  of  this  descrip- 
tion which  mislead  the  chart-makers.  Though  this  is  embarrass- 
ing, it  is  not  surprising,  when  we  consider  the  difficulties  under 
which  surveys  are  often  made  in  that  intensely  cold  climate ;  and 
the  fact,  too,  is  considered,  that  very  often  the  whole  of  the  land 
visible,  as  well  as  the  ice-closed  waters,  are  all  of  one  nearly  uni- 
form whiteness,  so  that  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  distinguish  at 
any  great  distance  the  one  from  the  other. 

GEOGRAPHICAL  MISTAKES. 

In  illustration  of  these  possible  mistakes  we  will  only  refer  to 
a  few  of  those  which  are  well  known,  and  have  been  made  by 
usually  careful  and  experienced  travelers.  In  1819,  Buchan  and 
Lieutenant  (afterward  Sir  John)  Franklin  sailed  for  a  considera- 
ble distance  through  Lancaster  Sound,  and  then  concluding  it  to 
be  a  bay,  "seeing  land  at  the  end,"  they  turned  back.  Captain 
John  Ross  also  made  the  same  mistake. 

The  famous  Captain  Kellet  reported  a  mythical  land  off  the 
Herald  Islands,  Speaking  of  Wrangel  Sea,  or  what  we  should 
call  the  Polar  Sea,  he  wrote,  so  late  as  November  15, 1851:  "  We 


GEOGRAPHICAL  MISTAKES.  23 

have  certain  proof  of  there  being  land  in  this  sea  (Wrangel's),  for 
on  August  17,  184P,  I  landed  on  an  island  in  lat.  71°  19'  N.,  long. 
175°  W. ;  it  is  almost  inaccessible,  and  literally  alive  with  birds. 
From  the  neighborhood  of  this  island  I  saw,  as  far  as  a  man  can 
be  positive  of  his  sight,  in  those  seas  to  the  westward  an  exten- 
sive land,  very  high  and  rugged,  distant  from  my  position  I  con- 
jecture fifty  or  sixty  miles.  I  could  not  approach  it  with  my  ship, 
but  might  possibly  have  done  so  with  a  steamer." 

Three  years  later  the  United  i^tates  steamer  Vincennes,  Commo- 
dore Rogers,  visited  Herald  Island,  and  sailed  around  in  all  direc- 
tions, as  well  as  to  the  westward,  looking  for  the  "extensive" 
land  describ'  i  by  Captain  Kellet,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  but  found 
none:  neither  ttiao  above  described,  nor  some  other  land  report- 
ed in  the  Vrctic  Parliamentary  papers  of  1849-51.  Well  might 
Captain  Fellet  say,  as  he  did  in  his  report:  "It  becomes  a  nerv- 
ous thing  to  report  a  discovery  of  land  in  these  regions  without 
actually  landing  on  it;  but,  as  far  as  a  man  can  be  certain  who 
has  one  hundred  and  thirty  pairs  of  eyes  to  assist  him,  and  all 
agreeing,  I  am  certain  I  have  discovered  an  extensive  land.  I 
think  it  is  also  more  than  probable  that  those  peaks  we  saw  are 
a  continuation  of  a  range  of  mountains  seen  by  the  natives  off 
Cape  Jaken,  and  mentioned  by  Baron  Wrangel." — Par.  Papers, 
107.        -   ^------    ^^ '■-,.-  ■  ■'  K  -.-^....-.v  .^.-^:v.: 

And  yet  he  was  mistaken — there  was  no  land  there ! 

Again,  Captain  Kennedy,  of  the  Prince  Albert,  in  his  report  to 
Lady  Franklin,  in  October,  1852,  describes  how  he  and  the  young 
French  officer,  Ren^  Bellot,  walked  over  the  land  which  Sir  J.  C. 
Ross,  the  great  Antarctic  as  well  as  A^-ctic  traveler,  had  reported 
to  be  a  sea.  This  place  was  between  72°  and  73°  N.  lat.,  and 
about  100°  W.  long.  R^ne  Bellot,  with  the  instinctive  politeness 
of  his  nation,  wrote  in  his  journal :  "  Hitherto  I  had  hoped  Sir 
James  Ross  was  right  in  his  conjectures,  but  there  can  be  no 
doubt  now  that  he  was  mistaken,  for  we  have  walked  over  the 
land." 

And  then  this  same  careful  Kennedy,  at  Cape  Walker,  himself 
walks  over  a  cairn  erected  by  Captain  Austin,  and  mistakes  it  for 
a  natural  production  of  the  cliff. 

Among  the  more  modern  explorers.  Dr.  Kane  frequently  refers 
to  the  mistakes  of  his  predecessors.  He  says  (Appendix,  page 
303):  "The  island  named  Louis  Napoleon  by  Captain  Inglefield 


24  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

does  not  exist;  the  resemblance  of  ice  to  land  will  readily  explain 
the  mistake." 

Again  he  says:  "There  is  no  correspondence  between  my  own 
and  the  Admiralty  charts  north  of  78°  18'  N.  Not  only  do  I  re- 
move the  general  coast-line  some  2°  of  long,  to  the  east,  but  its 
trend  is  altered  60°  of  angular  measurement.  There  are  no  land- 
marks of  my  predecessor  recognizable."       '  -    . 

These  mistakes  he  attributes  in  part  to  the  "  sluggishness  of  the 
compass,  and  in  part  to  the  eccentricities  of  refraction." 

Dr.  Kane's  successor — Dr.  Hayes — corrected  the  western  coast- 
line of  his  friend,  saying  also  of  the  opposite  coast:  "lie  was  much 
tempted  to  switch  it  off  twenty  miles  to  the  eastward."  While 
the  Polaris  has  sailed  into  what  he  and  others  thought  to  be  the 
Polar  Sea,  north  of  Kennedy  Channel,  finding  a  strait  and  bays, 
obliterating  the  Polar  Ocean  in  the  latitude  where  it  was  supposed 
to  exist,  but  confirming  the  idea  that  it  will  yet  be  found,  only 
farther  to  the  north  than  any  human  eye  has  yet  penetrated. 

But,  though  many  mistakes  have  been  made,  much  more  of 
tangible  fact  has  been  revealed.  Certain  lands  and  waters,  once 
as  mythical  as  the  "Hyperborean"  of  the  ancients,  are  now  as 
familiar  to  the  geographer  and  Arctic  mariner  as  the  coasts  of 
Europe,  or  our  own  Atlantic  sea-board. 

There  is  also  an  additional  perplexity  arising  from  the  pecul- 
iar refracting  power  of  the  atmosphere,  which  at  times  throws  up 
the  lowlands  into  plateaus,  and  slight  elevations  into  precipitous 
capes  and  headlands,  so  that  the  most  careful  observers  have  been 
deceived  by  a  phenomenon  not  suspected  to  exist.  In  view  of  all 
these  embarrassments  likely  to  affect  the  accuracy  of  the  Arctic 
explorer,  we  heartily  concur  in  the  wisdom  of  that  energetic  and 
successful  navigator,  Captain  Kennedy,  when  he  declared  that  he 
"  would  never  report  any  thing  as  land  which  he  had  not  walked 
over,  nor  any  thing  as  water  which  he  had  not  sailed  through." 

THE  HYPERBOREANS. 

What  has  been  really  discovered,  instead  of  only  imagined,  we 
shall  now  briefly  note. 

Without  going  into  the  details  of  the  old  Norwegian  coloniza- 
tion of  Greenland,  and  the  exploration  of  the  American  coast  by 
the  Norsemen  of  the  tenth  and  eleventh  centuries,  via  Iceland, 
which  are  matter  of  separate  record,  and  have  no  direct  bearing 


RIVAL  EXPLORERS.  25 

on  the  history  of  modern  Arctic  exploration,  we  will  only  briefly 
advert  to  the  fact  of  such  communication  with  the  Old  and  New 
World  having  taken  place,  showing  that  in  those  comparatively 
early  ages,  while  the  rich  southern  plains  of  Europe  and  Asia  were 
but  sparsely  populated,  and  millions  of  square  miles  lay  opon  to 
the  natural  pre-emption  of  the  first  comer,  there  were  still  always 
to  be  found  whole  nationalities  who  preferred  the  cold  and  rug- 
ged districts  of  the  North  wherein  to  build  their  homes,  to  what 
would  seem  to  us  the  more  attractive  regions  of  the  temperate 
zone ;  but  as  the  white  whale  and  the  Polar  bear  would  perish 
in  a  warmer  clime,  so  there  have  ever  been  races  of  men  who 
have  courted  the  Polar  cold,  and  avoided,  as  a  stifling  furnace,  the 
genial  breezes  of  the  luxurious  South. 

THE  PRE-COLUMBIAN  ERA. 

Approaching  the  era  of  the  modern  discovery  of  America,  but 
preceding  it  by  little  over  a  century,  we  find  that  the  north-west 
passage  to  India  was  attempted  by  two  Venetian  brothers  named 
Zeni,  who  were  but  the  precursors  of  a  long  list  of  mercantile  ad- 
venturers who  essayed  the  same  course;  for  at  first  it  was  not 
scientific  enthusiasm  or  even  a  morbid  curiosity  which  sent  so 
many  ships  and  expeditions  vainly  beating  out  their  strength 
against  the  north  western  barrier.  Gain  was  the  motive  power 
which  mainly  ruled  all  these  efforts  for  more  than  two  centuries. 

RIVAL  EXPLORERS. 

The  English,  Dutch,  Danes,  and  Kussians  were,  with  reason, 
anxiously  jealous  of  the  rapid  strides  which  Spain,  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  was  making  toward  universal  dominion ;  and  to 
offset  her  power  and  gains  in  Mexico,  Peru,  and  elsewhere,  the 
English  in  particular  made  desperate  efforts  to  find  a  shorter  and 
easier  way  to  the  East  Indies  than  that  which  the  tedious  sail 
round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  afforded;  and  what  the  English  at- 
tempted by  the  north-west,  Eussia,  somewhat  later,  tried  to  secure, 
both  by  land  and  sea,  following  a  north-east  course. 

And  even  after  this  fanciful  idea,  based  on  geographical  igno- 
rance, was  finally  exploded,  mercantile  enterprise  mingled  with 
the  pride  of  national  acquisition  in  stimulating  Arctic  explora- 
tions. For  though  in  all,  or  nearly  all  of  the  more  modern  at- 
tempts, scientific  results  were  recognized  as  subordinate  subjects 


26 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


of  interest,  it  was  not  until  the  time  of  Franklin  and  Parry  that 
any  expedition  was  fitted  out  for  the  sole  purpose  of  geograph- 
ical and  scientific  inquiry. 


8EUABTIA.N   OABOT. 


Sebastian  Cabot  made  his  first  voyage  to  the  north-west  coast 
of  America  under  letters  patent  from  Henry  VIII.,  empowering 
the  elder  Cabot  (John)  and  his  three  sons  "  to  discover  and  con- 
quer unknown  lands,"  they  being  the  first  (of  the  Columbian 
era)  who  ever  saw  the  main-land  of  North  America,  and  on  these 
north-western  voyages  he  was  the  first  to  note  the  variations  of 
the  needle ;  but  the  subject  of  trade  and  commerce  was  always  a 
prominent  object  with  himself  u.ir\  royal  patron.  Later  he  pro- 
jected a  voyage  to  the  North  Pole;  but  though  he  penetrated 
the  Arctic  circle  he  succeeded  in  getting  only  to  67°  80',  sailing 
through  Davis  Strait;  but  neither  he  nor  John  Cabot  had  divest- 
ed themselves  of  the  idea  that  the  ancient  Cathay  might  be  thus 
reached. 

After  the  Cabots  came  the  Cortereal  brothers,  who,  from  1500-03, 
made  three  voyages,  disastrous  in  loss  of  life,  and  not  attaining 
any  higher  latitude  than  60°  N. 

The  results  of  these  voyages  were  not  particularly  encouraging, 
and  the  thoughts  of  kings  and  the  merchant  princes  of  those  times 


FROBISHER'S  GOLD.  27 

began  to  dwell  on  other  means  and  routes  to  the  spice  lands  of 
the  Orient ;  and  in  consonance  with  this  change  in  the  tide  of 
public  opinion,  an  expedition  was  prepared  by  the  Muscovy  Com- 
pany of  London,  under  the  leadership  of  the  ill-fated  Sir  Ilugh 
Willoughby,  with  instructions  to  find  a  north-east  passage  to 
Cathay  and  India.  Ue  succeeded  in  reaching  Nova  Zembla; 
there  he  encountered  the  formidable  ice-fields  of  the  Arctic  Ocean, 
was  forced  back  in  a  south-westerly  direction  to  the  coast  of  Lap- 
land, where  he  and  his  whole  ship's  company  were  found  frozen 
to  death ! 

Richard  Chancellor,  who  was  the  real  navigator  of  this  expe- 
dition, and  sailed  in  one  of  the  three  vessels  composing  it,  reach- 
ed the  north  coast  of  Russia,  landed  and  made  his  way  to  the 
presence  of  the  Czar,  from  whom  he  obtained  the  mercantile  privi- 
leges which  resulted  in  founding  the  famous  "Muscovy  Com- 
pany" of  London. 

frobisheb's  gold. 

The  next  movement  of  importance  were  the  voyages  made  in 
1576-78  by  the  renowned  Frobisher.  He  was  an  early  and  zeal- 
ous advocate  of  the  north-west  route,  and  spent  many  years  in 
fruitless  attempts  to  get  his  mercantile  friends  to  invest  in  the 
project  of  a  voyage  of  exploration,  which  he  believed  would  be 
successful  under  his  leadership ;  but  so  many  of  this  class  had 
suffered  pecuniary  losses  in  previous  expeditions  that  he  was  un- 
able to  procure  a  ship. 

Failing  with  the  "  mercenarie  men  of  trade,"  he  next  turned  to 
the  Court,  and  finally  succeeded  in  enlisting  the  sympathy  and 
aid  of  Elizabeth's  ministers.  On  his  first  voyage  he  collected, 
from  the  shores  of  what  he  called  a  strait,  but  what  Charles 
Francis  Hall  discovered  to  be  a  bay,  a  quantity  of  black  ore, 
thinking  that  it  contained  gold,  and  with  this  treasure  returned 
to  England. 

To  those  who  have  read  Captain  Hall's  work,  narrating  his  ex- 
plorations in  that  vicinity,  the  whole  subject  of  "  Frobisher's  gold" 
must  be  familiar.  Some  of  the  metallurgists  of  London  appear 
to  have  been  either  deceived  themselves,  or  connived  at  deceiv- 
ing others  into  the  belief  that  mining  could  be  profitably  con- 
ducted in  the  country  north  of  what  was  then  called  Frobisher 
Strait ;  and  for  a  while  Sir  Martin  Frobisher  and  the  riches  of 


28 


ARCTIC  KXPERIENCES. 


HALL  DISOOVEBINa   FKOUISUEB  BELIOB. 


the  new  Cathaj  was  the  latest  sensation  of  the  Court  circle.  He 
received  the  encouragement  and  patronage  of  Elizabeth  herself 
on  two  succeeding  voyages ;  but  neither  his  own  private  fortune 
nor  the  royal  coffers  appear  to  have  been  replenished  by  the 
"  witches  gold."  It  is  proper  to  add,  that  scientific  observations, 
as  understood  in  those  days,  were  not  neglected. 


GILBERT  AND   OIHERS. 

The  chivalrous  and  courtly  Sir  Iluniphrey  Gilbert  was  anoth- 
er of  the  Elizabethan  courtiers  who  was  persuaded  of  the  prac- 
ticability of  a  north-west  passage  to  China,  if  not  India.  He  was 
a  navigator  of  great  skill  and  experience,  and  made  two  voyages 
of  discovery  to  the  north  coast  of  America ;  and,  on  his  second, 
he  took  formal  possession  of  the  island  of  Newfoundland  in  the 
name  of  the  British  Queen.     But  he  was  not  permitted  to  partici- 


GILBERT  AND  OTHERS. 


29 


pate  in  the  honors  which  awaited  him  in  his  own  country.  His 
ship  foundered  at  sea,  and  ail  on  board  perished,  thus  experien- 
cing, as  the  poet  sings  of  him  in  the  ballad, 

"  It  was  as  near  to  heaven 
By  water  as  by  land." 

John  Davis,  the  discoverer  of  the  strait  which  bears  his  name, 
also  surveyed  a  considerable  part  of  the  coast  of  Greenland  as  fai- 
north  as  the  seventy-third  degree. 

During  all  this  time  the  Dutch,  the  French,  and  the  Danes  were 
not  idle;  but  they  went  principally  to  the  north-east.  Barentz 
made  three  voyages,  1594-96.  He  started  under  great  disadvan- 
tages, being  inexperienced  and  far  from  properly  furnished ;  but 
he  was  brave  and  persevering,  and  what  man  could  do  under  such 
circumstances  he  did ;  on  his  third  voyage  he  had  to  abandon  his 


BABEMTZ'S  WINTEB-qUABTEBB. 


30  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

ship,  and  with  his  crew  take  to  the  boats,  but  unfortunately  per- 
ished from  exposure  and  xhaustion  when  near  Icy  Cape,  a  head- 
land of  Russian  America,  i.i  the  Arctic  Ocean.  Ilis  house,  which 
he  built  on  land  for  winter-quarters,  was  d'scovered  by  a  Norwe- 
gian whaler,  named  Carlsen,  in  1871,  on  an  island  E.S.E.  of  Nova 
Zembla.   . 

Many  others,  whom  we  have  not  space  to  mention,  fill  out  the 
long  list  of  bold  and  hardy  adventurers  whom  neither  continued 
disaster  nor  threatened  death  could  turn  from  their  purpose;  and 
no  doubt  some  nameless  heroes,  who  did  not  happen  to  rank  high 
enough  to  catch  the  "sounding  trump  of  fame,"  might,  if  we  knew 
their  humble  history,  their  faithful  courage  and  endurance,  out- 
shine in  merit  all  the  rest. 

But,  regardless  of  individual  virtue,  history  inexorably  fixes 
her  pivotal  points  upon  those  men  and  events  which  form  a  nec- 
essary connecting  link  with  the  times  past  and  the  time  coming. 
In  accordance  with  this  mode  of  selection,  the  name  of  Henry 
Hudson  starts  to  the  front  as  a  prominent  standard-bearer  in  the 
work  of  Arctic  exploration.  His  first  voyage  was  made  under 
the  direction  of  the  old  Muscovy  Company,  in  1607.  Considering 
the  previous  history  and  the  many  failures  of  preceding  explor- 
ers, he  received  the  somewhat  astonishing  order  "  to  go  direct  to 
the  North  Pole !"  He  did  what  he  could  to  obey  orders,  and 
reached  81"  30',  steering  due  north  along  Spitzbergen,  until  he 
proved  that  course  to  be  impossible.  The  next  year  he  started  out 
again,  with  the  intent,  we  presume,  to  accomplish  indirectly  what 
he  had  failed  to  do  directly ;  at  least,  on  this  voyage  he  stood  to 
the  north-east,  but  got  only  to  75°  N.  Once  more,  in  the  suc- 
ceeding year,  he  tried  the  same  course,  but  meeting  with  heavy 
ice,  he  turned  about  and  sailed  toward  the  west,  and,  reaching 
the  American  coast,  began  anew  the  search  for  a  north-west  pas- 
sage. He  did  not  find  that,  but  he  found  something  better;  he 
discovered  New  York  Bay  and  the  Hudson  Eiver,  and  then, 
needing  to  be  reprovisioned,  sailed  for  home. 

Returning  in  1610 — his  fourth  voyage — he  directed  his  course 
farther  north,  struck  the  straits,  and  sailed  through  to  the  mag- 
nificent bay,  both  of  which  waters  bear  his  name.  On  the  great 
bay  he  sailed  several  hundred  miles,  farther  to  the  west  than  any 
one  had  yet  penetrated,  and  wintered  on  an  island  in  its  mouth — 
Southampton  Island ;  and  then  tried  again,  in  the  spring,  to  find 


HENRY  HUDSON.  31 


ilBNBY  UaUBON. 


tbe  long-sought  passage  to  the  Pacitic.  But  the  long  cold  winter, 
with  insufficient  food,  had  told  on  the  moral  as  well  as  physical 
condition  of  the  men,  the  hardier  portion  of  whom  were  com- 
pletely demoralized,  and  finally  mutinied  against  any  further  de- 
tention in  these  Western  waters.  The  end  of  this  noble  man  was 
sad  indeed:  with  his  son  and  several  sick  sailors  he  was  turned 
adrift  in  an  open  boat,  while  the  mutinous  crew  took  possession 
of  the  vessel  and  stores.  One  noble-hearted,  faithful  man,  John 
King,  the  ship's  carpenter,  voluntarily  accompanied  him,  and 
shared  his  fate.  The  ringleader  of  the  mutinous  crew,  with  five 
others,  was  killed  by  the  natives :  several  others  died,  some  of 
starvation ;  and  the  rest  managed  to  get  the  ship  back  to  England ; 
but  Henry  Hudson,  with  his  seven  companions,  was  never  heard 
of  more. 

As  the  sad  story  finally  leaked  out,  there  arose,  mingled  with 
pity  for  Hudson's  fate,  and  indignation  against  the  mutineers,  a 
buoyant  feeling  of  expectancy  over  the  great  discoveries  which 
had  been  made.  It  was  now  confidently  believed  that  the  pas- 
sage was  absolutely  found,  that  it  was  only  necessary  to  sail  on 
and  on  through  the  water  which  we  now  know  to  be  a  bay,  to 
reach  the  China  Seas.  In  consequence  of  this  impression,  the 
next  few  years  saw  several  other  voyagers  sailing  for  "  Hudson's 
great  sea,"  in  the  pursuit  of  which  several  minor  discoveries  were 
achieved.     Fox  Channel,  Sir  Thomas  Kowe's  "Welcome,  and 


32  ARCTIC  EXI'ERIENCES. 

Other  waters  were  partially  explored ;  the  excitement  was  kept  up 
to  an  exceptionally  high  tone ;  and  this  prolific  period  culminated 
in  the  discovery  of  the  great  bay  to  the  north  of  Davis  Strait  by 
William  Baffin  in  1616.  lie  explored  the  western  coast  of  this 
water  to  the  mouth  of  Lancaster  Sound,  and  none  went  farther 
than  he  to  the  north-west  for  another  half-century. 

The  hopes  and  expectations  which  the  discovery  of  Hudson's 
Bay  had  excited  finally  faded,  until  anticipation  was  extinguish- 
ed by  the  ever-recurring  fact  that  all  the  discoverers  eventually 
came  back  to  England,  and,  whatever  else  they  found,  they  did 
not  find  a  practicable  passage  to  the  Indies.  In  addition  to  these 
rear:  -T;  >  enterprise  was  now  in  a  measure  directed  to  the  coloni- 
zation of  the  Atlantic  coast,  now  within  the  limits  of  the  United 
Slates;  and  though  voyages  continued  to  be  made,  both  to  the 
north-east  and  the  north-west,  and  in  the  former  direction  many 
sledge  expeditions  were  planned,  yet  no  important  discovery  for 
many  years  again  aroused  the  enthusiasm  of  the  English  nation. 

RUSSIAN   EXPLORERS. 

During  this  time  the  Russians  were  particularly  active  in  their 
scientific  experiments  upon  the  variation  of  the  magnetic  needle, 
and  in  the  examination  of  other  phenomena  in  such  portions  of 
the  Arctic  regions  as  lay  accessible  to  them.  The  most  enduring 
results  obtained  by  the  Russians  in  the  early  part  of  the  eight- 
eenth century  was  achieved  by  Vitus  Behring,  a  captain  in  the 
Russian  Navy,  who,  for  his  tried  courage  and  skillful  seamanship, 
was  appointed  by  Peter  the  Great  to  the  command  of  a  voyage 
of  discovery.  In  1728  he  explored  the  northern  coasts  of  Kanit- 
schatka  as  far  north  as  67°  18',  thus  making  the  discovery  of  the 
straits  which  separate  Asia  from  America,  previous  to  which,  the 
impression  prevailed  that  the  continents  were  there  united.  But 
it  was  still  uncertain  whether  the  land  to  the  east  of  the  straits 
was  a  part  of  the  main-land,  or  only  islands  scattered  along  the 
coast.  To  determine  this,  in  1741  he  sailed  from  Okhotsk,  intend- 
ing to  explore  the  American  coast ;  he  twice  made  the  land,  but 
was  driven  back  by  violent  storms,  and  at  last  he  was  cast  upon 
a  desolate  ice-covered  island,  since  named  for  him,  where  he  died. 
The  crew  managed  to  subsist  with  the  aid  derived  from  the 
wrecked  vessel,  out  of  which,  in  the  spring,  they  built  a  small 
sailing  craft,  and  in  August  reached  the  coast  of  Kamtschatka; 


GOVERNMENT  REWARDS  OFFERED. 


33 


BABOK   VON   WBiLNUEL. 


but  the  gallant  Behring  lives  only  in  the  straits  and  island  which 
preserve  his  name.  Other  Russian  expeditions  followed,  among 
which  was  that  of  Shalaeloff  in  1760,  who  died  of  starvation,  and 
some  others,  which  accomplished  little,  concluding  this  series  with 
the  important  sledge  journey  of  Baron  Von  Wrangel  and  Anjou 
in  1820-23,  which  had  a  marked  influence  upon  the  opinions  and 
subsequent  course  adopted  by  nearly  all  of  the  succeeding  British 
explorers.  These  intelligent  and  persevering  Russians  attained 
to  lat  70°  51'  N.,  long.  155°  25'  W.,  then  met  the  open  sea,  for 
which  they  were  not  prepared.  Thus,  in  all  the  expeditions  so 
far  sent  out  in  ships,  the  way  had  been  barred  at  different  points 
by  impenetrable  ice,  while  those  who  had  essayed  the  trans-gla- 
cial plan  had  been  met  with  interposing  arms  of  the  sea  which  as 
effectively  stayed  their  progress.  


GOVERNMENT  REWARDS  OFFERED. 

As  early  as  1743  the  British  Parliament  had  offered  £20,000 
for  the  discovery  of  a  passage  by  the  Hudson  Bay  route,  which 

3 


84  AKCTIC  EXl'EKIEXCES. 

Stimulated  once  more  the  flagging  enthusiasm,  and  several  voy- 
agers sailed ;  some  through  Behring  Strait  to  the  east,  hoping 
thus  to  reaeh  Hudson  Bay  by  the  imaginary  oeean,  vvhieh  then 
existed  in  the  brains  of  nearly  all  Aretie  explorers. 

Between  1769  and  1772,  Ilearne  made  three  land  trips,  on  the 
last  of  whieh  he  discovered  the  Coppermine  Kiver,  which  he 
traced  to  its  sourv  3.  The  next  year  Captain  Phipps,  afterward 
Lord  Mulgrave,  was  sent  out  by  the  Admiralty,  with  orders  to 
make  for  the  North  Pole — this  object  to  take  precedence  of  all 
others;  meteorological,  magnetical,  and  other  scientific  observa- 
tions were  also  to  be  made  objects  of  investigation  ;  and  thereaf- 
ter geographical  science  became  a  successful  rival  to  the  mercan- 
tile spirit,  which  had  hitherto  dictated  the  instructions  given  in 
previous  expeditions,  Phipps  went  the  Spitzbcrgen  route,  but 
reached  only  80°  48' — not  as  far  north  as  Hudson  attained  sixty- 
six  years  before. 

Undiscouraged,  the  British  Parliament  again  took  up  the  sub- 
ject, and,  though  now  involved  in  the  preliminary  quarrel  which 
resulted  in  the  loss  of  her  American  colonies,  her  ministry  had 
still  eyes,  ears,  and  thoughts  for  discoveries  in  the  far  North.  In 
1776  the  British  Government  offered,  in  addition  to  the  standing 
reward  of  £20,000  for  the  actual  discovery  of  the  pole,  the  same 
sum  for  any  through  route,  and  £5000  to  any  one  who  should 
reach  to  within  one  degree  of  the  pole. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  famous  Captain  Cook  was  ordered  to 
the  search  for  the  pole.  lie  went  through  Behring  Strait,  and 
got  only  to  70°  45'.  A  vessel  had  gone  out  to  Baffin  Bay  in  the 
hope  of  meeting  him,  but,  as  is  well  known,  his  voyage  terminated 
fatally  to  himself,  and  unsuccessfully  as  regarded  the  object  in 
view. 

The  next  important  discovery  was  that  of  the  Mackenzie  River 
in  1789. 

.    ■  EARLY  AMERICAN  ENTERPRISE. 

In  the  American  colonies,  too,  emulation  was  ripe,  though  the 
means  of  fitting  out  large  expeditions  did  not  exist;  but  as  early 
as  1754  we  find  that  private  enterprise  was  directed  to  the  same 
point  of  attraction.'  In  the  Qentleman^s  Magazine  of  that  year  is 
an  account  of  the  voyages  of  the  Jr/zo,  of  Philadelphia.  Captain 
Charles  Swayne  had  made  two  voyages  in  search  of  a  north-west 


THE  WIIALEU  SCUUKSBY.  f^ 

f)ai?sage,  obtaining  valuable  information  of  the  coast  of  Labrador 
and  Hudson  Bay,  but  failing  to  get  north  of  hit.  f>r>^ 

In  1772  some  gentlemen  in  Virginia,  moved  by  the  same  desire 
whieh  had  actuated  the  enterprise  of  the  civilized  world  for  cen- 
turies, fitted  out  the  brig  iJi/igence,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Wilder,  who  also  made  Hudson  Bay,  and  sailed  about  its  broad 
waters  north  and  west,  thinking  to  find  a  passage,  and  believing 
there  was  one ;  but,  repelled  by  the  ice,  he  retreated,  and  afterward 
made  the  latitude  of  69°  IT  in  Davis  Strait. 

THE   WHALKK  SCORESBY. 

The  name  of  William  Scoresby  may  justly  be  considered  as 
the  connecting  link  between  the  old  explorers — the  adventures 
made  almost  solely  in  the  interest  of  commerce,  and  those  more 
liberal  modern  enterprises,  conducted  in  the  spirit  of  the  newly- 
dawning  scientific  era. 

And  yet  Scoresby's  name  scarcely  figures,  even  incidentally,  in 
any  general  record  of  Arctic  heroes,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
the  British  Government,  though  availing  itself  of  his  knowledge 
and  experience,  was  unwilling  to  confer  its  honors  on  any  except 
those  of  the  Koyal  Navy. 

William  Scoresby,  though  an  eminently  learned  and  scientific 
man,  was  for  many  years  known  only  as  a  successful  and  enter- 
prising whaler.  It  was  on  one  of  these  voyages,  in  the  year  1806, 
while  lying-to  for  whales  in  what  is  known  as  the  "Greenland 
Seas,"  on  the  east  side  of  Greenland,  ii\  lat.  78°  46'  N.,  that  he 
thought  that  he  would  venture  to  deviate  from  the  usual  whale- 
man's track,  and  penetrate,  if  possible,  to  the  "  Polar  Sea,"  in 
which  he  fully  believed.  Spreading  nis  sails,  and  with  a  good 
wind,  he  soon  left  the  whaling  fleet  behind  him,  and  shortly  after 
encountered  the  heavy  ice  which  he  knew  he  must  penetrate  to 
reach  the  open  water  beyond.  With  consummate  skill,  tact,  and 
boldness  he  bored  his  way  through  the  pack-ice,  and,  undismayed 
at  the  novelty  of  his  position,  separated  from  his  companion  ves- 
sels; with  the  great  ice  barrier  between  him  and  civilization,  he 
bravely  pushed  on  toward  the  north,  where  his  hopes  were  grati' 
fied,  and  his  opinions  confirmed,  by  finding  a  "great  openness  or 
sea  of  water."  He  reached  the  high  latitude  of  «1°  30'  N.,  19°  E. 
long.,  seas  ne  er  before  visited  by  whalemen,  and  never  previous- 
ly attained  in  either  hemisphere  except  by  Hudson.     Parry  after- 


S6 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


WILLIAM  HUUUiClillV. 


ward  went  higher  in  his  sledge  journey,  but  not  in  a  sailing  ves- 
sel. But  Scoresby  was  something  more  than  a  whaler.  On  each 
voyage  he  added  something  to  accurate  geographical  knowledge 
by  surveying  the  coast  and  islands  which  he  visited,  and  by  him 
a  large  portion  of  the  eastern  coast  of  Greenland  was  first  accu- 
rately traced,  and  prominent  points  named.  lie  corrected  the  ther- 
mometrical  statements  and  other  incorrect  so-called  scientific  in- 
formation of  his  day;  he  experimented  on  the  temperature  of 
deep-sea  water,  on  terrestrial  magnetism,  and  other  natural  phe- 
nomena, and  published  many  interesting  papers  relating  to  the 
meteorology  and  zoology  of  the  Arctic  regions. 


THE  WHALER  SCORESBY.  37 

Ross  and  Franklin  had  both  dilated  upon  the  curious  phenom- 
enon of  red  snow  observed  in  their  Arctic  voyages ;  and  in  1828 
Scoresby  analyzed  a  portion  of  the  colored  snow  of  Greenland, 
and  found  that  the  coloring  matter  consisted  of  exceedingly  mi- 
nute marine  infusoria. 

As  early  as  1814  he  had  published  a  paper  on  the  "  Polar  Ice," 
including  a  "Project  for  reaching  the  North  Pole."  He  made 
fifteen  voyages,  in  which  he  touched  80°  N.,  the  results  of  which 
were  made  public  in  a  book  entitled  the  "Arctic  Regions,"  in  1816. 
At  this  time  he  was  considered  by  all  the  intelligent  friends  of 
Arctic  exploration  as  an  authority  upon  all  matters  connected 
with  the  Polar  region. 

It  was  out  of  a  correspondence  which  he  held  with  Sir  Joseph 
Banks  in  1817,  that  was  evolved  the  combination  of  events  which 
led  to  the  equipment  of  those  mixed  land  and  water  explorations 
commanded  by  Parry,  Ross,  and  Franklin. 

The  eminent  French  savant,  M.  de  la  Roquette,  in  his  memoirs 
of  the  latter,  addressed  to  the  Geographical  Society  of  France, 
says :  "  In  spite  of  previous  discoveries,  the  subject  of  Arctic  ex- 
plorations was  again  almost  forgotten,  when  an  English  rhaler, 
an  intelligent  and  intrepid  sailor,  who  had  for  many  years  navi- 
gated the  Greenland  seas,  demonstrated  the  possibility  of  effecting 
a  per-glacial  voyage  across  to  the  Pacific.  In  a  letter  written  by 
him  to  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  this  ivlialer^  Scoresby  the  younger,  nar- 
rated a  remarkable  circumstance  which  he  had  witnessed  during 
his  last  voyage  in  1817."  (This  statement  referred  to  a  great  dis- 
ruption or  removal  of  the  usual  ice  barrier,  which  occurred  in 
1816-17,  in  the  parallel  of  the  island  of  Jan  Mayen,  and  near  the 
eastern  coast  of  Greenland.) 

"  This  information,  a  similar  condition  of  the  ice  occurring  also  in 
1806,  awakened  in  England  the  long-dormant  projects  for  attain- 
ing the  North  Pole,  and  for  opening  up  the  north-west  passage." 

In  1835  Sir  John  Ross  made  the  same  admissions  in  the  preface 
to  a  work  on  his  own  voyages,  observing,  "that  a  sort  of  renais- 
sance of  public  interest  in  Arctic  affairs  had  followed  upon  the 
publication  of  Scoresby's  views,  as  given  to  Sir  Joseph  Banks." 
From  one  of  these  letters  we  extract  the  following : 

"Scoresby  says:  'I  mentioned  the  fact  of  a  large  body  of  the 
usual  ices  having  disappeared  out  of  the  Greenland  Sea,  and  the 
consequent  openness  of  the  navigation  toward  the  west,  whereby 


38  ••  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

I  was  enabled  to  penetrate,  within  sight  of  the  east  coast  of  Green- 
land, to  a  meridian  which  had  been  usually  considered  quite  inac- 
cessible. After  some  account  of  the  state  and  confitruration  of 
the  ice,  and  our  progress  among  it,  I  proceeded  to  remark  on  the 
facilities  which  on  this  occasion  were  presented  for  making  re- 
searches in  these  interesting  regions,  *  *  *  toward  decidinrj  wJieth- 
er  or  not  a  navinatiori  into  the  Pacific,  either  by  a  north-east  or  north- 
west passage,  existed.  I  also  expressed  a  wish  to  be  employed  in 
such  researches  through  a  series  of  voyages,  that  the  most  favor- 
able seasons  might  be  improved  to  the  best  advantage,  and  that 
the  most  complete  investigation  might  be  accomj)]ished  ;  and,  by 
the  way  of  avoiding  unnecessary  expense,  I  proposed  to  combine 
the  object  of  the  whale-fishery  with  that  of  discovery,  on  every 
occasion  when  the  situation  of  the  ice  was  unfavorable  for  scien- 
tific research.  Since  no  one  can  possibly  state,  from  observation 
of  the  ice  in  any  one  season,  what  opportunity  may  occur  on  a 
subsequent  occasion,  it  would  be  well  to  have  this  reserve  bal- 
ing) for  the  reduction  of  the  expenditure,  in  the  event  of  the  op- 
portunity for  discovery  failing.' "  This  was  evidently  too  sensible 
an  idea  to  penetrate  the  brains  of  the  British  Naval  Office. 

Seven  weeks  after  this  letter  was  written,  a  notice  appeared  in 
the  public  prints  of  the  day, "  that,  owing  to  the  statements  of  the 
Greenland  captains  respecting  the  diminution  of  the  Polar  ice,  the 
Royal  Society  had  applied  to  ministers  to  send  out  vessels  in  the 
Polar  Seas." 

It  was  reasonably  expected  by  Scoresby  and  his  friends  that 
he  would  have  been  appointed  to  the  command,  if  an  expedition 
was  planned;  but  red  tape  prevailed:  the  Admiralty  were  fixed 
in  their  opinion  that  none  but  officers  of  the  Eoyal  Navy  were 
capable  of  commanding  an  exploring  expedition.  Scoresby  was 
offered  a  subordinate  position ;  but  this  he  naturally  refused  to 
accept. 

In  August  the  British  expedition  entered  Lancaster  Sound, 
and  sailed  up  it  for  sixty  miles,  when  they  thought  they  sa^v  land 
at  the  end,  and  thence  concluded  it  to  be  a  bay.  The  weather  was 
bad,  which  prevented  their  examining  its  contour  more  closely, 
and  they  put  about,  exploring  the  sound  to  the  south  and  east, 
and  then  returned  to  England  in  October  of  the  same  year. 

Captain  Ross,  who  also  visited  the  sound,  likewise  thought  it  a 
bay,  but  some  of  his  officers,  including  Parry,  were  of  a  different 


CAPTAIN  PARRY. 


39 


opinion,  and,  on  the  return  of  the  expedition  to  England,  the 
question  of  "  sou-^d"  or  "  bay  "  was  the  topic  of  much  interested 
and  not  a  little  ;  -gry  discussion.  The  English  public  were  dis- 
satisfied, and  Parry's  followers  being  the  more  energetic  party, 
aided  him  in  preparing  a  private  expedition  to  go  back,  and,  by 
actual  survey,  to  settle  the  point. 

He  sailed  in  May,  1819,  in  the  Uecla,  with  a  consort,  the  Oriper^ 
under  command  of  Lieutenant  Lyon  ;  these  vessels  carried  a  com- 
bined crew  of  ninety-four  men,  and  were  furnished  with  provisions 


CAPTAIN  PAREY, 


for  two  years.  On  their  way  up  Baffin  Bay,  they  encountered 
ice  on  the  18th  of  June,  and  were  temporarily  "beset"  on  the 
25th ;  but  a  lead  opening,  they  reached  Lancaster  Sound  on  the 
30th  of  July,  but  not  without  trouble,  though  they  were  fortunate 
enough,  early  in  August,  to  find  the  sound  free,  and  a  channel, 
which  they  followed  to  the  mouth  of  Barrow  Strait,  thus  finally 
exploding  the  idea  of  its  being  a  bay.  The  strait  Parry  entered 
and  sailed  through  as  far  as  Prince  Regent  Inlet,  which,  with 
many  other  capes,  points,  bays,  headlands,  and  so  forth,  he  named. 
As  he  approached  the  magnetic  pole,  he  found  his  compasses  of 


40  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

but  little  use,  so  great  was  the  dip  of  the  needle.  The  hopes  of 
officers  and  crew  were  greatly  excited,  and  when,  after  encount- 
ering immense  difficulties,  he,  on  September  4,  crossed  the  one 
hundred  and  thirteenth  degree  of  west  longitude,  he  told  the  men 
that  the  Ilecla  had  earned  the  reward  of  £5000  offered  by  the  Gov- 
ernment, the  enthusiasm  knew  no  bounds.  Two  weeks  later  he 
was  beset ;  but  the  crew  cut  a  passage  through  the  ice  till  a  lead 
was  reached,  and  the  party  attained  Melville  Island  in  safety. 
Here  Parry  wintered,  using  every  opportunity  to  explore  the 
country  in  different  directions,  and  adding  largely  to  the  topo- 
graphical and  hydrographical  knowledge  of  the  day  respecting 
that  region  of  country.  In  June  of  that  year  (1820)  it  was  yet 
very  cold ;  but  a  thaw  set  in  early  in  July,  and  on  the  2d  of 
August  the  ice  broke  up  and  set  them  at  liberty.  Two  weeks 
later  they  were  again  beset  for  a  time ;  but  getting  clear  with 
great  exertions,  they  started  for  home,  where  they  were  received 
with  hearty  welcomes ;  and  on  a  report  of  the  discoveries  made 
being  published,  the  utmost  satisfaction  was  expressed  both  by 
the  Government  and  the  public  press. 

The  successes  of  Parry  had,  however,  but  whetted  the  public 
appetite,  and  the  next  year  he  sailed  again,  with  instructions  to 
go  to  Kepulse  Bay  by  the  way  of  Hudson  Strait,  with  the 
hope  that  thus  the  dangerous  encounters  with  the  "middle  ice" 
might  be  avoided.  On  this  occasion  he  again  sailed  in  the  Ilecla, 
with  the  Fury  as  consort,  of  which  Captain  Lyon  was  in  com- 
mand. They  reached  the  terminus  of  Hudson  Strait  in  August, 
1821,  and  from  there  sailed  north  to  Fox  Channel,  and  thence 
to  Repulse  Bay,  in  hopes  of  finding  an  outlet  to  the  north  or 
west,  and  for  that  purpose  made  careful  and  extensive  explora- 
tions; but  were  early  beset  in  the  ice,  and  in  September  cut  a 
dock  for  the  vessels  in  a  heavy  floe,  from  which  they  were  not 
released  until  the  next  July.  During  the  winter  they  occupied 
the  time  in  sledge  journeys  of  exploration,  and  in  recording  the 
results  of  their  scientific  experiments.  They  went  carefully  over 
the  course,  including  Lyon  Inlet,  then  through  Fox  Channel  to 
the  strait  uniting  the  latter  with  Boothia  Gulf,  naming  the  strait 
Fury  and  Hccla.  They  reached  the  middle  of  these  straits  in 
September,  1822.  Here  they  wintered,  remaining  until  August, 
1823,  when  they  returned  to  England. 


REMARKABLE  LAND  JOURNEYS.  41 

EXPLORATIONS  CONDUCTED  ON   FOOT. 

During  the  period  in  which  Parry  had  made  two  voyages,  the 
other  expedition  (overland),  which  had  started  in  September, 
1819,  from  York  Factory,  on  the  west  side  of  Hudson  Bay,  and 
which  was  expected  to  explore  the  coast  from  the  Coppermine 
River  east,  was  undergoing  a  fearful  experience.  The  leaders 
were  Sir  John  Franklin  (then  lieutenant),  and  Dr.  Richardson. 
There  were  also  two  midshipmen,  Messrs.  Hood  and  Back 
(afterward  Sir  George),  and  a  seaman  named  Hepburn.  It  had 
been  arranged  in  England  that  if  Parry  made  the  coast  on  his 
first  voyage,  he  was  to  co-operate  with  this  small  but  energetic 
land  party. 

The  latter,  leaving  York  Factory  in  September,  after  almost  un- 
paralleled suflferings  —  with  cold  beyond  measurement,  for  their 
thermometer  was  frozen — finally  reached  Chipewyan,  a  d6p6t  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  after  a  foot  journey  of  eight  hundred 
and  fifty-six  miles!  Resting  here  for  a  while  in  Jul}',  1820,  they 
traveled  to  Fort  Enterprise,  where  was  a  small  hut  containing 
stores,  making  five  hundred  miles  more.  Here  they  wintered, 
while  Mr.  Back  returned  to  Fort  Chipewyan  to  hurry  on  supplies 
for  the  next  season.  It  was  during  the  absence  of  Mr.  Back  that 
an  Iroquois  hunt-,  in  the  employment  of  the  party,  shot  Mid- 
shipman Hood,  with  the  intention,  as  Franklin  and  Richardson 
supposed,  of  eating  him  ;  whereupon  Dr.  Richardson  took  the  re- 
sponsibility, and  deliberately  shot  the  Indian  through  the  head. 

The  hardships  which  they  had  endured  had  reduced  their 
strength  of  body  and  mind  almost  to  inanity ;  and  Mr.  Back 
also  suffered  great  hardships  on  his  journey,  but  his  indomitable 
will  and  great  physical  endurance  brought  him  through,  and 
he  reached  Fort  Enterprise,  with  supplies  of  provisions,  on  the 
17th  of  March,  1821.  He  traveled  eleven  hundred  miles  on  this 
journey,  sometimes  for  two  or  three  days  without  food,  and  at 
night  having  for  covering  but  one  blanket  and  a  deer-skin,  the 
thermometer  much  of  the  time  registering  from  47°  to  57°  below 
zero. 

Mr.  Back  having  rejoined  his  party  with  supplies  from  Fort 
Chipewyan,  they  started  again  from  Fort  Franklin,  where  they 
had  halted,  dragging  their  provisions  and  canoes  to  the  Copper- 
mine River,  eighty  miles  distant.    Embarking  in  these  frail  boats, 


42  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

they  sailed  seaward,  and  reached  the  coast  of  what  they  supposed 
to  be  the  sea  about  the  middle  of  July.  They  then  turned  to  the 
east,  sailing  and  paddling  alternately,  as  circumstances  required, 
for  five  hundred  and  fifty  miles — all  the  time  thinking  they  were 
going  toward  the  Arctic  Ocean :  at  the  end  of  that  time  they 
found  they  had  only  been  navigating  an  immense  bay.  Con- 
vinced at  last  of  this,  on  reaching  Dease  Strait  they  called  the 
headland  Cape  Tuiuuguiij,  auu  sadly  prepared  to  retrace  their 
course.  A  more  disappointed  party  could  scarcely  be  imagined. 
To  add  to  their  perplexity,  they  found  they  had  only  food  for  a 
few  days,  and  no  signs  of  animal  life  which  promised  them  a  sub- 
stitute. However,  they  manfully  set  to  work  and  built  two  ca- 
noes, with  which  they  entered  Hood  River  a  short  distance  west 
of  Point  Turnagain.  Food  failing  them,  they  were  reduced  to 
the  utmost  extremity,  and  became  so  weak  in  consequence  that 
they  abandoned  the  canoes  they  had  con.structed,  being  unable 
to  drag  them  around  certain  rapids  which  they  encountered. 
Some  days  they  managed  to  gather  a  little  rock-tripe  or  moss, 
and  finally  ate  their  old  shoes  and  scraps  of  leather  attached  to 
other  articles.  Two  of  their  number  died  of  exhaustion ;  but  at 
last,  when  all  were  nearly  at  the  point  of  death  from  starvation, 
their  eyes  were  cheered  by  the  sight  of  York  Factory,  from  which 
they  had  started  out  three  years  before,  having  in  their  absence 
traveled  over  fifty-five  hundred  miles — notable  specimens  of  what 
the  human  frame,  when  controlled  by  an  intelligent  will,  is  capa- 
ble of  enduring.  They  brought  up  at  this  haven  of  rest  in  July, 
1823,  and  soon  after  returned  to  England. 


COMBINED  SEA  AND   LAND   EXPLORATIONS. 

A  few  months  only  elapsed  before  another  expedition  was  pro- 
posed, on  a  larger  scale  than  any  which  had  yet  been  projected. 
This  consisted  of  four  divisions. 

One  vessel,  under  Parry,  was  destined  for  Prince  Regent  In- 
let, which  it  was  thought  opened  at  the  south.  The  second  party, 
under  Franklin,  was  ordered  to  go  down  the  Mackenzie  River  to 
the  sea,  and  then  divide,  part  to  travel  to  the  eastward,  and.  the 
others  with  Franklin  to  the  westward  until  they  struck  Behring 
Strait.  Captain  Beechey  was  ordered  to  sail  round  Cape  Horn 
.to  Behring  Strait,  and  thence  to  make  Kotzebue  Sound,  and 
wait  there  for  Franklin.    The  fourth  party,  'inder  Captain  Lyon, 


COMBINED  SEA  AND  LAND  EXPLORATIONS.  4$ 

in  the  Griper,  was  to  go  to  the  south  of  Southampton  Island,  up 
Rowe's  Welcome  to  Repulse  Bay,  then  cross  Melville  Isthmus  to 
Point  Turnagain.  The  object  of  the  whole  expedition  being  to 
secure,  if  possible,  a  thorough  exploration  of  the  space  between 
the  eastern  and  western  shores  of  the  North  American  continent, 
and  the  correct  configuration  of  its  northern  boundary,  the  ex- 
pedition, therefore,  contemplated  and  was  prepared  for  both  land 
and  sea  travel. 

Captain  Lyon's  part  was  soon  finished.  His  vessel  was  twice 
nearly  wrecked,  and  he  abandoned  the  further  pursuit  eighty 
miles  from  Repulse  Bay. 

Parry  sailed  in  May,  1824,  in  the  Funj,  with  the  Ileda  as  con- 
sort, and  reached  Lancaster  Sound ;  but  was  there  caught  in  the 
ice  and  had  to  winter  at  Port  Bo  wen.  The  Furi/  was  afterward 
wrecked,  and  Parry  took  both  crews  back  to  England  in  the 
Ilecla. 

Franklin's  party  had  a  more  extended  service.  With  him  was 
Dr.  Richardson,  Lieutenant  Back,  and  Messrs.  Kendall  and  Drum- 
mond,  the  latter  a  naturalist  of  reputation.  They  got  to  Fort 
Chipewyan  in  July,  1825,  and  from  there  went  to  the  Great  Bear 
Lake  to  winter.  From  thence,  in  pursuance  of  orders,  Franklin 
undertook  the  descent  of  the  Mackenzie  River,  which  he  accom- 
plished, reaching  the  sea  at  lat.  69°  14'  N.,  long.  135°  57'  W.,  a  dis- 
tance of  one  thousand  and  forty-five  miles. 

On  the  28th  of  June,  1826,  the  whole  remaining  portion  of 
Franklin's  party  also  went  down  the  river  to  its  mouth,  and  there 
separated,  Franklin  going  to  the  west,  and  Dr.  Richardson  to  the 
east.  The  former  skirted  the  coast,  which  trended  to  the  north- 
north-west  till  he  reached  lat.  70°  24',  and  long.  149°  39'  W. 
Here  his  further  progress  was  barred,  and  he  named  the  place 
Return  Reef.  The  weather  was  excessively  bad,  and,  as  usual, 
provisions  were  short.  He  was  also  unaware  of  the  fact  that 
Captain  Beechey  was  waiting  for  him  only  one  hundred  and 
forty -six  miles  farther  west;  for  Beechey,  in  the  Blossom,  had 
passed  Behring  Strait,  had  gone  to  Chamisso  Island,  in  Kotze- 
bue  Sound,  where,  getting  no  information  of  Franklin,  he  went 
north -north -east  to  Point  Barrow,  and  from  there,  forwarding 
boat  parties,  he  awaited  their  return  until  it  became  dangerously 
late  in  the  season,  when  he  put  off  for  winter-quarters  in  Petro- 
paulovski.     One  of  his  boat  parties  returned  in  time  to  accom- 


44  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

pany  him;  the  other  proceeded  to  the  south-east  (overland)  to 
the  posts  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

In  the  mean  time  Franklin  returned  to  the  Mackenzie,  hav- 
ing explored  the  whole  coast  for  three  hundred  and  seventy-four 
miles  to  the  north-north-west,  wLich  in  its  intricacies  involved,  in 
coming  and  going,  over  two  thousand  miles. 

Dr.  Kichardson  had  during  the  time  made  an  extended  jour- 
ney to  the  east,  but  without  developing  any  special  points  of  in- 
terest. 

The  whole  expclition  once  more  met  and  wintered  at  Great 
Bear  Lake,  where  they  established  a  series  of  valuable  observa- 
tions on  terrestrial  magnetism.  And  it  was  a  curious  incident 
that  Parry's  quarters,  at  only  an  interval  of  one  year  apart,  were 
situated  at  the  oppos'te  side  of  the  magnetic  pole,  just  eight  hun- 
dred and  fifty-five  miles  distant,  bot^  parties  making  the  same 
observations.  And  thus,  while  the  needle  at  Port  Bowen  was 
regularly  increasing  its  western  direction,  that  at  Fort  Franklin, 
pointing  directly  toward  it,  was  increasing  its  easterly — a  beauti- 
ful and  conclusive  proof  of  solar  influence  upon  the  daily  varia- 
tion. Captain  Beechey  returned  to  his  appointed  rendezvous  the 
succeeding  year ;  but  he  and  Franklin  never  again  met. 

THE  ERA  OF  MODERN  DISCOVERIES. 

In  1818  commenced  what  may  be  called  the  modern  era  of 
Arctic  exploration,  primarily  induced,  as  we  have  shown,  by  the 
writings  and  influence  of  Scoresby,  and  aided  to  the  last  by  Sir 
John  Barrow,  the  faithful  advocate  of  Arctic  explorations.  In 
this  year  two  expeditions  were  fitted  out  by  the  British  Govern- 
ment, the  one  under  Captain  Eoss  and  Lieutenant  Parry,  the  oth- 
er under  Captain  Buchan  and  Lieutenant  (afterward  Sir  John) 
Franklin,  the  last  being  more  particularly  devoted  to  scientific 
investigations. 

The  orders  of  the  scientific  party  were  to  go,  between  Spitz- 
bergen  and  Greenland,  as  far  north  as  possible.  Here  they  found 
the  temperature  far  milder  than  they  expected,  and  attained  the 
highest  latitude  yet  reached ;  but  it  was  not  without  great  dan- 
ger— the  ice  floes  surrounded  them  on  all  sides,  and  one  ship,  the 
Dorothea,  was  completely  shattered.  Nevertheless  the  philosoph- 
ical experiments,  on  the  elliptical  figure  of  the  earth  especially, 
were  conducted  with  very  interesting  results;  also  experiments 


PARRY'S  DRIFT.  45 

in  refraction  and  magnetic  phenomena.  In  April  they  started 
to  return,  and  were  beset  with  ice  not  far  from  Waggat  Isl- 
and, but  cleared  themselves,  and  made  for  the  coast  of  Green- 
land. 

parry's  drift. 

The  year  1827  saw  Captain  Parry  at  the  head  of  another  expe- 
dition destined  for  the  north  shore  of  Spitzbergen,  supplied  with 
two  well-built  covered  boats,  so  arranged  that  they  could  be  put 
on  runners,  and  thus  dragged  as  a  sledge  where  they  could  not 
be  floated.  Arrived  at  Spitzbergen,  he  started  on  the  ice,  pro- 
vided with  food  estimated  for  seventy -one  days;  but  the  journey 
was  not  to  prove  so  easy  in  reality  as  it  did  in  the  instructions  of 
the  Naval  Office.  First,  they  were  impeded  with  thin  ice,  through 
which  the  boat  could  not  sail,  and  which  was  not  strong  enough 
to  travel  over;  next,  it  was  rough  ice,  which  threatened  contin- 
ually to  rack  the  sledge-runners  to  pieces  —  and  worse,  snow- 
blindness  attacked  nearly  the  whole  party.  This  evil  they  en- 
deavored to  circumvent  by  abandoning  day  travel  entirely,  and 
moving  forward  only  at  night — a  night,  however,  which  was  by 
no  means  dark  in  that  latitude  in  summer. 

Considering  the  outlay  of  exertion,  the  gains  appeared  insig- 
nificant. The  first  five  days  they  had  made  only  ten  miles. 
They  had  hoped  this  time  surely  to  reach  the  Pole;  but  appre- 
ciating the  difficulty  with  every  step,  the  leading  officers  agreed 
with  Parry  that  they  would  be  content  could  tbey  make  the 
eighty-third  parallel ;  but  in  their  problem  was  an  unknown  quan- 
tity which  they  had  not  taken  into  the  account.  Unperceived  by 
them  for  a  while,  and  still  longer  unaccounted  for,  was  the  strange 
fact  that,  no  matter  how  many  miles  they  traveled  toward  the 
north,  at  each  observation  they  found  themselves  steadily  moving 
south.  The  ice  was  moving  beneath  them,  carrying  them  south 
with  every  hour.  This  was  an  obstacle  which  no  human  inge- 
nuity could  remove.  At  82°  45'  they  gave  up  the  contest,  find- 
ing that,  though  they  had  traveled  nearly  three  hundred  miles 
over  ice  and  through  water,  they  were  yet  but  one  hundred  and 
seventy-two  miles  from  the  Hecla.  Burying  their  great  hopes  in 
a  sad  but  blameless  failure,  they  got  back  to  the  ship  on  the 
21st  of  August,  and  returned  to  England. 

It  was  no  wonder  that  the  zeal  of  the  Government  officers  be- 


46  ARCTIC  EXI'EKIENCES. 

gan  to  flag  under  such  repeated  disappointments,  and  that  in 
consequence  we  find  that  the  next  serious  effort  was  made  under 
the  auspices  and  with  the  means  of  a  private  enthusiast. 

STEAM   FIRST   USED  IX  THE   ARCTIC  SEAS. 

Sir  Felix  Booth,  an  ardent  friend  of  Arctic  exploration,  fitted 
out  the  Victory,  putting  her  under  the  command  of  Captain  John 
Ross,  who  was  accompanied  by  his  nephew,  Sir  James  Koss.   With 


BIB  JOHN  BOSB. 


the  Victory  a  new  element  appears,  hitherto  a  stranger  to  Arctic 
waters — steam.  The  Victory  was  fitted  with  a  steam  boiler,  to 
be  "'!sed  in  calm  weather."  The  expectation  still  was  that  a 
north-west  passage  could  be  made  through  Prince  Regent 
Inlet. 

The  Victory  soiled  in  May,  1829,  and  reached  the  inlet  on  the 
9th  of  August,  and  came  up  with  the  wreck  of  the  Fury  on  the 
12th ;  on  the  15th  they  got  to  "Parry's  farthest;"  here  they  en- 


SEVEN  MILES  IN  TVVO  YEARS!  47 

countered  serious  difficulty  with  ice,  but,  persevering,  managed  to 
work  along  three  hundred  miles  on  a  coast-line  not  hitherto  ex- 
plored, reaching  to  within  two  hundred  miles  of  the  extreme 
point  reached  by  Franklin  on  his  last  expedition. 

Ilere  the  shore  trended  to  the  west,  and  though  now  closed  by 
ice,  Ross  thought  that  these  two  hundred  miles  would  be  navi- 
gable at  some  time  of  the  year,  and  he  would  await  his  oppor- 
tunity; but  the  present  season  was  now  over.  October  had 
overtaken  them,  and  on  the  7th  inst.  they  went  into  winter- 
quarters  at  what  is  now  known  as  Felix  Harbor.  There  ice 
fetters  held  them  fast  for  eleven  months.  Not  until  Septem- 
ber, 1830,  did  they  get  under  way,  and  then  only  made  tliree 
miles,  when  they  were  again  beset,  and  obliged  to  winter  until 
August,  1831,  when  they  made /owr  miles  more;  and  on  the  27th 
of  September  they  were  once  more  fast  for  the  season.  Seven 
miles  in  two  years !  -:.     -     .   ;    >,     :, 

ROSS  KEACHES  THE   MAGNETIC  POLE. 

Ross  could  stand  that  rate  no  longer.  In  April  of  1832  his 
nephew,  James  C.  Ross,  made  a  sledge  excursion  to  the  west,  and 
reached  and  fixed  the  magnetic  pole  in  lat.  70°  5'  17"  N,, 
long.  96°  46' 45"  W. 

But  two  Arctic  winters  had  told  upon  the  health  of  the  crew ; 
the  scurvy  broke  out,  and  with  it  the  despondency  which  usually 
accompanies,  and  is  often  the  precursor  of,  that  disease.  The  ship 
was  obliged  to  be  abandoned,  and  the  whole  company  started 
east,  taking  their  boats  on  sledges.  Their  first  objective  point  was 
the  wreck  of  the  Fury^  where  at  least  some  shelter  could  be  ob- 
tained, and  also  material,  and  possibly  stores;  they  endured  ter- 
rible hardships  on  the  way,  but  managed  to  get  there  on  the  1st 
of  July,  but  were  too  much  reduced  to  go  farther  at  that  time, 
and  before  they  were  recuperated  sufficiently,  winter  weather  was 
upon  them,  and  at  Fury  beach  they  were  compelled  to  remain 
through  the  season  of  1832-33.  The  suffering  among  all  parties, 
especially  the  crew,  was  intense ;  many  were  fearfully  sick,  and 
several  died.  With  the  opening  of  early  summer  they  made  des- 
perate efforts,  and  on  July  8  they  reached  the  open  sea.  Here 
they  launched  their  boats,  which  they  had  dragged  much  of  the 
way,  trusting  that  they  might  be  seen  and  relieved  by  some 
whaler.    This  fortunately  happened ;  they  were  picked  up  on  the 


48  ARCTIC  EXl'EUIENCES. 

26th  of  August,  1833,  by  Captain  Humphreys,  of  the  Isabella. 
Though  he  willingly  received  them  on  board,  he  did  not  recog- 
nize the  identity  of  Ross,  nor  at  first  believe  their  story:  he 
"thought  Captain  Ross's  party  had  all  been  dead  for  two  years," 
but  was  finally  convinced  of  his  error,  and  in  September  landed 
them  at  the  Orkneys,  whence  they  might  get  conveyance  to  En- 
gland.    They  had  been  absent  four  years,  from  1829  to  1833. 

DISCOVEIty  OF  GREAT  FISH  KIVEK. 

Seven  months  previous  to  their  rescue  and  return,  Lieutenant 
Back,  accompanied  by  Dr.  King,  naturalist,  hud  left  England  in 
search  of  Ross  and  his  party,  and  reached  Fort  Resolution,  on  Great 
Bear  Lake,  in  August,  and  from  there  went  on  to  Musk  Ox  Lake, 
to  the  north-east.  Finding  nothing  of  the  parties,  they  returned  to 
winter  at  Fort  Reliance,  suffering  much  from  lack  of  suflicient 
food  and  the  intensity  of  the  cold.  In  April  they  had  just  plan- 
ned a  movement  to  the  sea-coast,  when  they  learned  of  Ross's 
safety.  In  June  they  started  on  a  boat  excursion  down  the 
Tlikw-ee-choh  River,  which  he  called  the  Great  Fish  River,  since 
named  Back,  which  they  hoped  would  lead  them  to  the  Polar 
Sea ;  and  on  July  29,  after  a  hard  and  fatiguing  journey  of  five 
hundred  and  thirty  miles,  they  reached  the  open  water,  at  lat.  67*^ 
11'  N.,  long.  94°  30'  W. ;  but  it  was  not  the  Polar  Ocean.  The 
river  they  had  followed  led  through  a  most  desolate  country : 
neither  trees  nor  vegetation  were  visible,  except  of  diminutive 
Hichens  and  mosses.  But  as  game  was  sometimes  observed,  it  is 
quite  possible  that  in  the  sheltered  valleys,  which  the  rocky  bluffs 
of  the  river  hid  from  their  siorht,  the  aspect  of  the  country  was 
less  forbidding. 

After  exploring  the  shores  for  some  distance,  meeting  with 
many  obstacles,  they  turned  back,  and  after  four  months  of  con- 
tinuous travel  reached  again  Fort  Reliance,  on  Great  Bear  Lake, 
in  September,  and  from  there  returned  home  in  the  autumn  of 
1835. 

DBASE  AND  SIMPSON'S  EXPLORATIONS. 

Two  years  later  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  sent  out  two  men, 
Dcase  and  Simpson,  with  orders  to  go  down  the  Mackenzie  River 
to  the  sea,  and  then  to  move  along  the  coast  to  the  west  until 
they  reached  the  point  where  Beechey  had  waited  for  Franklin : 


DEASE  AND  MIMI'SONS  EXPLORATIONS.  49 

this  they  considered  would  complete  the  survey  of  the  north 
whore  of  the  North  American  coast.  They  reached  Return  lieef 
(Franklin's  farthest  west)  in  July,  1826,  and  up  to  this  time  no 
one  had  been  beyond  this  point  from  the  east.  They  pushed  on, 
and  finally  got  to  Point  Barrow  (Heechey's  extreme  east),  and  thus 
their  task  was  happily  completed.  On  their  way  they  discovered 
two  large  rivers,  wliich  they  named  respectively  the  Colville  and 
Garry;  then  returned  to  winter-quarters  at  Great  Bear  Lake. 

In  June  of  1838  Messrs.  Dease  and  Simpson,  with  others,  start- 
ed again  for  the  north  coast,  by  way  of  the  Coppermine  River. 
intending  this  time  to  travel  toward  the  east,  but  found  them- 
selves stoj)pcd  by  accumulations  of  ice.  On  this  the  party  di- 
vided :  some  took  sledges  and  j)roceeded  overland.  They  passed 
Point  Turnagain,  the  farthest  point  reached  on  the  west  on  that 
route;  found  Deasc  Strait  filled  with  ice,  and  at  the  eastern  ter- 
mination of  the  straits  a  large,  bold  headland,  and  to  the  north 
an  extensive  tract  of  land,  new  to  explorers,  which  they  named 
Victoria.  There  they  clambered  with  great  difficulty  to  the  top 
of  a  high,  ice-bound  cape,  from  which  they  were  surprised  to  see 
a  broad  sea  beyond  free  from  ice.  Tliey  explored  forty  miles  of 
Victoria  Land  to  the  east-north-east,  concluding  their  survey  in 
the  summer  of  1838. 

The  next  year  they  sailed  through  Dease  Strait,  and  settled 
the  exact  coast-line  up  to  the  point  which  Back  reached  in  1884, 
and  beyond  found  that  the  estuary  of  Back's,  in  which  they 
saihd,  separates  Boothia  on  the  west  from  the  American  conti- 
nent. They  almost  joined  their  discoveries  to  Ross's,  and  came 
within  ninety  miles  of  the  point  he  had  fixed  upon  as  the  mag- 
netic pole.  These  excursions  of  Dease  and  Simpson  were  among 
the  most  useful  which  had  been  made,  yet  their  names  and  labor 
have  been  almost  completely  overshadowed  by  some  who  had 
led  much  more  expensive  and  sensational  expeditions,  but  who 
really  added  little  to  the  general  fund  of  geographical  informa- 
tion. Indeed,  all  the  American  coast  north  was  now  explored, 
except  that  portion  lying  between  Dease  and  Simpson's  ex- 
treme point  west  of  Boothia  and  Ross's  winter-quarters,  on  the 
east  of  the  same  land,  and  that  tract  between  Ross's  quarters  and 
the  extreme  point  reached  by  Parry  in  1822,  at  the  entrance  of 
Fury  and  Hecla  straits. 

4 


50  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

ir.  BOOTBIA  A    PENINSULA  OR   AN   ISLAND? 

The  question  now  to  be  settled  was  this:  Could  ships  pass 
betweii  Boothia  and  the  main-land  ?  On  this  parties  were  formed, 
and  while  many  book-geographers  and  parlor-sailors  were  quite 
sure  that  they  could,  and  vehemently  argued  that  "  nothing  was 
easier  than  to  sail  through  Prince  llegent  Inlet  and  round  the 
southern  coast  of  Boothia  through  to  tiie  north-west,"  others,  and 
these  mostly  Arctic  travelers,  held  the  matter  in  much  doubt; 
some  affirming  that  Boothia  was  a  peninsula,  and  not  an  island. 
To  settle  the  point,  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  which  had  now 
become  a  steady  patron  of  Arctic  explorers,  sent  out  Dr.  John 
Rae  in  the  summer  of  lb46,  he  and  his  party  reaching  Chester- 
field Inlet  in  July  of  that  year.  This  expedition  was  prolific  of 
stupid  opinions  put  forth  by  the  British  Board  of  Admiralty,  as 
will  be  seen  by  the  context. 

From  Chesterfield  Inlet  Dr.  Rae  passed  on  to  Repulse  Bay, 
then  conveyed  his  boats  to  the  Gulf  of  Akole.  Being  unable  to 
get  farther  that  season,  he  returned  to  winter  in  Repulse  Bay; 
but  in  April  of  18-47  he  reached  the  inlet  which  Ross  had  found 
on  a  land  trip  while  wintering  on  the  coast  of  Boothia,  and  on 
which  occasion  the  latter  had  proved  the  continuity  of  the  coast 
to  that  point;  and  thus,  between  them,  it  was  proved  beyond  a 
doubt  that  Boothia  is  joined  to  the  main-land. 

We  said  without  a  doubt,  but  it  was  not  exactly  so.  Dr.  Rae, 
in  a  letter  to  Charles  Dickens,  then  editor  of  Ilouscliold  Words, 
and  published  in  vol.  x.,  No.  19,  says:  "The  Esquimaux  tracing, 
or  delineation  of  coast,  was  entered  in  the  Admiralty  charts  in 
dotted  lines  [indicating  doubt],  until  my  survey  of  eighteen  hun- 
dred and  forty -seven,  which  showed  that  in  all  material  points 
the  accounts  given  by  the  natives  were  perfectly  correct  When 
Sir  John  Ross  wintered  three  years  in  Prince  Regent  Inlet,  the 
natives  drew  charts  of  the  coast-line  to  the  southward  of  his  posi- 
tion, and  informed  him  that  in  that  direction  tJiere  teas  no  tvater 
communication  leading  to  the  western  sea.  Sir  John  Ross's  state- 
ments, founded  on  those  of  the  natives,  were  not  believed  at  the 
Admiralty,  nor  were  my  oivn,  in  eighteen  hundred  and  forty- 
seven,  although  /  saw  the  land  all  the  way,  and  in  which  I  was 
supported  by  the  Esquimaux  information.  The  authorities  at 
the  Admiralty  would  still  have  Boothia  an  island.     Last  spring 


FKANKLIN'S  LAST  EXrEDlTlON.  51 

I  proved  beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt  the  correctness  of  my 
former  report,  *  *  *  for  luliere  partien  of  la'yh  standing  at  home 
would  insist  on  having  nothing  hut  salt-water,  I  traveled  over  a  neck 
of  land,  or  isthmus,  sixty  miles  broad.'"'  This  was  in  accordance 
with  the  spii'it  which  treated  Baffin  Bay  as  a  myth  when  its  ex- 
istence was  first  announced  by  the  original  discoverer,  and  which 
excluded  it  from  the  maps  until  rediscovered  by  Eoss. 

It  was  on  the  29ih  of  May,  1814,  that  Dr.  Rae  saw,  during  a 
break  in  the  clouds,  which  seemed  to  lift  during  a  fearful  storm 
for  the  very  purpose,  a  headland,  which  he  named  Cape  Ellice, 
in  lat.  69°  42'  N.,  and  85°  8'  W.,  and  which  was  within  ten  miles 
of  Fury  and  llecla  straits;  and  this  made  the  entire  survey 
complete,  with  the  exception  of  the  straits,  and  they  were  par- 
tially known  by  the  accounts  of  Dease  and  Simpson  as  well  as 
Parry. 

SIR  JOHN   franklin's  LAST   EXPEDITION. 

We  now  approach  the  most  exciting  era  of  Arctic  research. 
In  May  of  1845  the  far-famed  expedition  of  Sir  John  Franklin, 
in  the  Erebus,  with  Captain  Richard  Crozier,  in  the  Terror,  start- 
ed from  England  —  that  swarming  place  of  Arctic  adventurers. 
Accompanying  them  was  a  tender,  which,  however,  after  un- 
loading her  provisions,  was  sent  back  from  Davis  Strait,  The 
Erebus  and  Terror  were  supplied  with  every  thing  which  the 
ample  means  of  the  Government  could  at  that  time  provide.  A 
long  detention  was  anticipated,  and  they  were  fully  provisioned 
for  three  years. 

On  the  26th  of  July,  1845,  these  ships  were  last  seen  by  civil- 
ized man.  The  master  of  the  whaler  Prince  of  Wales,  Captain 
Dannet,  met  them  in  lat.  74°  48'  N.,  long.  66°  13'  W.  They  were 
then  moored  to  an  iceberg,  apparently  waiting  for  an  opportunity 
to  get  into  Lancaster  Sound.  This  was  the  final  glance  of  rec- 
ognition between  those  brave  explorers  and  the  representative 
sailor  of  the  race  to  which  they  belonged — the  last  intelligence 
which  reached  the  civilized  world  for  years  respecting  them. 
Where  they  went,  how  they  reached  Cape  Riley  and  Beechey 
Island,  and  what  became  of  the  two  noble  vessels,  is  yet  a  mystery 
only  partially  solved. 

The  general  instructions  of  the  Admiralty  to  Franklin  direct- 
ed him  to  go  to  Baffin  Bay,  then  through  Lancaster  Sound,  on 


52 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


sill   JOHN    KHANKI.IN. 


through  Barrow  Strait,  which  the  Admiralty  "thought  would  be 
free ;"  to  Cape  Walker,  about  98°  W.  long. ;  and  then,  turning  to 
the  south  and  west,  to  use  his  best  judgment  in  getting  through 
to  Behring  Strait.  This  course  would  have  led  him  through 
Melville,  then  Parry  Sound. 

Much  was  expected  from  this  expedition.  The  previous  ex- 
perience of  the  commander,  and  of  many  of  those  who  accom- 
panied him,  -was  such  as  to  inspire  the  greatest  confidence  in  the 
results;  but  when  two  years  had  elapsed,  and  no  tidings  were 
received  of  even  the  whereabouts  of  the  travelers,  anxiety  for 
their  safety  began  to  be  excited  ;  and  as  the  winter  of  1848  wore 


FIRST  KKLIEF  EXPEDITION.  53 

away  without  intelligence,  the  painful  silence  became  intolerable. 
Inaction  was  no  longer  endurable,  and  with  a  bound  of  enthusi- 
asm a  noble  expedition  was  planned  to  go  for  their  relief,  scarcely 
any  doubt  at  this  time  being  entertained  but  that  they  could  be 
found,  and  the  survivors  rescued. 

FIRST   KELIEF   EXPEDITION*. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1848,  tiie  Plover,  Commander  Thomas 
Moore,  and  the  Iltndd,  Captain  Kellet,  started  to  go  by  the  Behr- 
ing  Strait  route  to  Chamisso  Island,  in  Kotzebue  Sound,  with 
orders,  if  Sir  John  had  not  arrived  there,  to  go  thence  to  the  east- 
ward as  far  as  they  could  in  their  ships,  and  then  to  forward  par- 
ties in  boats,  in  the  hope  of  meeting  him.  This  expedition  was 
accompanied  by  an  amateur  Arctic  explorer,  Mr.  Robert  Shed- 
don,  in  his  pleasure-yacht,  the  Nancy  iJaioson. 

Mr.  Sheddon  was  an  active,  energetic  man,  who  rendered  very 
acceptable  aid  to  the  expedition.  Tiiey  reached  Chamisso  Island 
on  the  14th  of  July,  1849,  and  with  their  boats  got  as  far  east  as 
Icy  Point,  and  then  sent  a  party  forward  to  try  and  reach  the 
Mackenzie  River.  The  vessels  got  north  to  lat.  72°  51',  and  to 
long.  163°  48'  W.,  and  were  then  beset  in  the  ice ;  however,  they 
sent  out  land  expeditions,  discovered  new  lands  and  islands — 
one  large  tract  of  land  about  lat.  71°  30',  long.  175°  W.  On  the 
24th  of  August  a  portion  of  the  boat  expedition  returned,  report- 
ing no  signs  of  the  lost ;  but  two  whale-boats  had  still  gone  on 
up  the  Mackenzie  River,  not  intending  to  return  to  the  ships, 
but  to  work  homeward  by  the  way  of  Fort  Hope  and  York  Fac- 
tory. 

Those  who  came  back  had  been  as  far  as  Dease  Inlet.  The 
expedition  remained  until  the  summer  of  1850,  exploring  in  dif- 
ferent directions,  and  the  next  season  Captain  Kellet,  with  th»' 
Plover,  wintered  in  Grantley  Harbor,  and  the  Herald  returned 
home. 

While  these  parties  had  been  operating  from  the  Behring 
Strait  side  of  the  continent  and  toward  the  north-east,  Sir  John 
Richardson,  the  friend  and  late  fellow-traveler  of  Franklin,  had 
gone  with  a  land  searching  expedition  down  the  Mackenzie  River 
toward  the  Polar  Sea,  which  he  reached  August  4,  1847,  leaving 
depots  of  provisions  at  intervals  all  along  the  route,  so  that  if  any 
of  the  lost  party  should  stray  that  way  they  might  at  least  find 


54  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

some  food  to  sustain  them.  They  traveled  eight  hundred  miles 
on  this  journey.  In  the  summer  of  1849  Dr.  Sir  John  Eichard- 
son  returned  to  England.  At  or  nearly  the  same  time  Dr.  Eae 
was  exploring  the  shores  of  Wollaston  Sound,  and  repeated  the 
exploration  in  1850. 

SIR  JAMES   HOSS. 

The  third  expedition,  under  Commander  Sir  James  Ross,  left 
England  on  the  12th  of  May,  1848,  for  the  express  purpose  of 
searching  the  south  side  of  Lancaster  Sound  to  Cape  York,  and 
then,  if  nothing  was  found,  to  cross  the  mouth  of  Prince  Regent 
Inlet,  which  they  did,  wintering  at  Leopold  Harbor.  The  North 
Star,  a  transport  ship,  also  followed  in  the  summer  of  1849,  with 
stores  for  Sir  James  Ross,  and  wintered  at  the  head  of  Wosten- 
holm  Sound,  in  hit.  76°  33',  the  farthest  north  in  that  direction 
any  English  vessel  had  then  ventured,  returning  to  England  the 
next  September. 

In  the  spring  of  1849  Sir  James  Ross  extended  his  search  to 
the  shores  of  North  Somerset,  lat.  72°  38'  N.,  long.  95°  40'  W.;  and 
though  he  found  not  Sir  John  Franklin,  he  discovered  the  fact 
that  North  Somerset  and  Boothia  were  united  by  a  narrow  isth- 
mus ;  he  also  explored  part  of  the  shore  north  of  Barrow  Strait, 
and  both  sides  of  Prince  Regent  Inlet;  but  all  the  evidence  col- 
lected was  negative  as  to  those  parts  having  been  visited  by 
Franklin.     lie,  too,  returned  to  England  in  November,  1849. 

As  the  various  searching  parties  reached  home,  all  with  the 
same  tale  of  ill  success,  the  heart  of  the  British  public  was  chilled 
with  the  growing  certainty  that  serious  disaster  must  have  over- 
taken the  unfortunate  Franklin.  And  in  this  the  interest  and 
sympathy  of  all  intelligent  persons  in  the  United  States,  and  we 
may  add  the  civilized  world,  was  deeply  aroused. 

SPECULATIONS  ON   FRANKLIN'S  COURSE. 

Speculation  was  rife  conjecturing  what  possible  course  he  could 
have  taken  to  thus  elude  the  search  of  so  many  indefatigable 
seekers;  and,  finally,  the  opinion  worked  uppermost,  at  least  in 
England,  that  he  was  probably  ice-bound  among  some  of  the 
many  small  islands  west  of  Melville  Island. 


A  GLORIOUS  SPECTACLE.  §5 

REWARD  OFFERED   BY  THE   BRITISH   GOVERNMENT. 

In  March  of  18i9  the  British  Government  offered  a  reward  of 
£20,000  to  any  private  exploring  party,  belonging  to  any  nation, 
which  should  render  efficient  aid  to  the  lost  wanderers.  Lady 
Franklin  at  the  same  time  sent  a  large  supply  of  coals  and  food, 
which  were  placed  at  Cape  Ilay,  on  the  south  side  of  Lancaster 
Sound,  with  the  merest  chance  that  some  survivor  might  wander 
to  that  vicinity. 

A  GLORIOUS  SPECTACLE. 

Had  some  intelligent  inhabitant  from  another  sphere  ap- 
proached our  globe  in  the  direction  of  the  North  Pole  in  the 
year  1850,  a  sublime  spectacle  would  have  met  his  vision,  and 
one  which  would  have  given  the  strange  visitant  an  impression 
that  the  human  race  was  endowed  with  the  keenest  sympathies 
and  the  noblest  sentiments.  No  less  than  twelve  vessels,  besides 
sledge  and  boat  parties,  led  by  such  men  as  Koss,  liae,  Collinson. 
M'Clure,  Osborne,  Austin,  Ommany,  Penny,  Forsyth,  and  De 
Haven,  with  many  as  noble  companions,  might  have  been  seen 
all  wending  their  way  over  the  land  and  ice  and  snow,  and 
through  the  waters  of  the  Arctic  regions,  in  search  of  a  lost  broth- 
er! Surely,  if  there  was  ever  an  exemplification  of  the  human- 
izing effects  of  scientific  pursuits,  we  have  it  in  this  evidence  of 
chivalrous  self-sacrifice.  Volunteers  had  sprung  to  the  rescue  on 
the  first  intimation  from  the  Government  that  relieving  parties 
would  be  organized,  and  in  the  year  named  Great  Britain  had 
eight  different  expeditions  abroad  in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin 
and  his  companions. 

Dr.  Rae  was  instructed  to  go  farther  north  than  he  had  yet 
been ;  to  get,  if  he  could,  to  Banks's  Island,  and  also  to  Cape 
Walker,  on  the  north  side  of  Victoria  Land ;  and  at  the  same  time 
two  small  parties  were  to  follow  the  main-land  west  to  Point  Bar- 
row— one  by  the  Mackenzie  River,  and  the  other  by  the  Colville. 

Then  there  was  the  Behring  Strait  expedition,  consisting  of 
the  Enterprise,  under  Captain  Collinson,  and  the  Investigator,  with 
M'Clure.  These  were  expected  to  keep  together,  sailing  to  the 
eastward  as  far  as  they  could,  with  special  instructions  to  make 
friends  of  the  natives,  with  the  view  of  learning  from  the  Esqui- 
maux if  they  had  any  knowledge  of  the  missing  party.     They 


56  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

were  also  ordered  to  place  caches  in  all  suitable  places,  and  par- 
ticularly warned  against  allowing  their  vessels  to  get  beset  in 
the  ice. 

The  Plover,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  still  on  the  Pacific  side, 
and  all  three  were  well  provisioned,  and  officered  by  capable  and 
determined  men. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  continent,  bound  for  Baffin  Bay,  was 
Captain  Austin  with  the  Resolute,  Captain  Ommany  in  the  Assist- 
ance, Lieutenants  Cator  and  Osborne  with  the  Pioneer  and  Intrepid 
— the  two  latter  being  screw-propellers.  These  all  sailed  in  the 
spring  of  1850. 

All  thus  far  named  were  Government  vessels.  Then  there  was 
raised  and  fitted  out  by  public  subscription  the  schooner  Felix, 
with  a  small  tender,  the  J/ary,  under  Captain  (Sir  John)  Koss. 
He  started  in  April,  and  was  provisioned  for  eighteen  months, 
expecting  to  take,  as  he  did,  an  entirely  different  course  from  the 
rest — going  b,  Cape  Ilotham,  on  the  west-side  entrance  of  Wel- 
lington Channe..  and  intending  to  search  all  the  headlands  west 
to  Banks's  Land;  'hen,  unless  he  was  happily  successful,  he  was  to 
send  back  the  tender,  and  go  on  himself  in  the  Felix,  and  to  win- 
ter as  far  west  as  he  could  get. 

LADY   FRANKLIN. 

Lady  Franklin  also  fitted  out  a  vessel,  bearing  her  own  name 
and  title,  officered  by  Captain  Penny,  having  the  brig  SojAia  in 
company.  Captain  Penny  had  no  positive  orders  as  to  his  course, 
which  was  left  entirely  to  his  own  judgment.  Lady  Franklin 
also  bore  a  considerable  portion  of  the  expense  of  fitting  out  the 
Prince  Albert,  commanded  by  Captain  Charles  Forsyth,  who  was 
accompanied  by  Mr.  W.  P.  Snow,  of  New  York,  who  went  to 
England  for  that  purpose — he  as  well  as  the  commander  being 
a  volunteer  in  the  humane  work.  They  went  to  the  shores  of 
Prince  Eegent  Inlet  and  the  Gulf  of  Boothia.  They  also  sent 
out  overland  parties  to  explore  the  west;  side  of  Boothia  to  Dease 
and  Simpson  straits.     This  expedition  sailed  in  June  of  1850. 

THE   FIRST  AMERICAN  EXPEDITION. 

The  first  American  expedition  recognized  by  the  Government 
was  chiefly  indebted,  both  for  vessels  and  equipment,  to  the  lib- 
erality of  Mr.  Henry  Grinnell,  a  merchant  of  New  York — the 


FIKST  EVIDENCES  OF  THE  MISSING  rAKTY. 


57 


United  States  Naval  Department  furnishing  an  able  commander 
for  the  two  vessels,  Advance  and  Rescue,  in  the  person  of  Lieu- 
tenant De  Haven.  This  expedition  sailed  from  New  York  on 
the  2-ith  of  May,  185U.  De  Haven's  plan  was  to  reach,  if  pos- 
sible, Banks's  Land  and  Melville  Island,  and  then  to  use  his  dis- 
cretion, as  events  indicated,  as  to  going  west  or  north. 

DISCOVERIES  AT  CAPE  RILEY. 

Of  all  these  parties,  Captain  Ommany  was  the  first  to  find  any 
evidences  of  the  missing  party.  At  Cape  Riley,  August  23, 1850, 
he  came  upon  the  site  of  what  had  evidently  been  an  encamp- 
ment, namely,  the  stone  flooring  of  a  tent,  a  quantity  of  birds' 


AUVAJiOB    AND    EE80LB. 


bones,  and  the  indubitable  proofs  of  civilization  in  a  number  of 
empty  meat-canisters,  with  other  small  relics;  and  this  occurred 
in  the  fifth  year  since  Sir  John  bad  been  absent  and  unreported. 

DISCOVERIES  AT  BEECHEY   ISLAND. 

At  Beechey  Island,  three  miles  west  of  Cape  Riley,  at  the  en- 
trance of  Wellington  Channel,  Lieutenant  Osborne  found  the  first 
winter-quarters  of  the  missing  expedition.  First,  there  was  an 
embankment  for  a  house,  with  carpenters'  and  armorers'  work- 
shops, the  inevitable  empty  meat-cans,  and,  most  conclusive  of 
all,  the  graves  of  three  men  belonging  to  the  Erebus  and  Terror 


58 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


These  bore  the  date  of  the  winter  of  1845-46.     Farther  inland  on 
the  island  were  found  some  articles  of  wearing  apparel. 

Lieutenant  De  Haven  arrived  at  Beechey  Island  on  August  25, 
just  two  days  after  Lieutenant  Osborne,  and  continued  the  search, 
as  did  also  Captain  Penny  and  the  officers  of  the  Prime  Albert. 

TEN   EXPLORING   VESSELS   MEET. 

On  the  27th  of  August,  1850,  there  met  at  Beechey  Island,  as 
if  drawn  by  an  irresistible  instinct,  ten  of  the  searching  vessels. 
Besides  those  already  named,  were  Sir  John  Ross,  Austin,  and 


AUOTIO   DISOOVEBY  BIIII'B. 


M'Clintock.  But  though  the  debris  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  party 
was  unmistakable,  the  searchers  looked  in  vain  for  any  record  or 
document  of  any  description.  Nothing  was  found  to  indicate 
which  way  they  had  taken  when  breaking  out  of  their  winter- 
quarters.  It  was  consequently  inferred  that  their  departure  had 
been  sudden — hastened,  perhaps,  by  some  unexpected  movement 
of  the  ice — though  the  greater  probability  is  that  there  was  noth- 
ing special  to  record,  or  time  would  certainly  have  been  found  to 
deposit  some  writing. 


DR.  KANE'S  DISCOVERY.  59 

But  it  is  not  impossible  that  some  writing,  really  existing  and 
concealed  by  the  snows  and  dtbris  of  five  winters,  remained  un- 
discovered; for  we  know  that  on  another  occasion,  when  a  party 
landed  from  the  Prince  Albert^  an  experienced  officer  walked  over 
a  cairn,  much  more  recently  constructed,  and  mistook  it  for  a  part 
of  the  cliff. 

Several  vessels  lay  by  Beechey  Island  during  the  winter,  so  as 
to  be  ready  in  the  spring  t)f  1851  to  renew  the  search,  organizing 
land  expeditions  in  the  mean  while  to  explore  the  shores  of  Wel- 
lington Channel,  the  coasts  of  Banks's  Land,  and  the  waters  lead- 
ins:  from  Barrow  Strait  to  Melville  Island.  Different  routes  were 
selected,  and  six  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  of  new  coast- 
land  was  discovered  and  examined.    But  Franklin  was  not  found. 

Of  all  the  explorers  entering  through  Baffin  Bay,  M'Clintock 
got  the  farthest  west  of  these  expeditions — namely,  to  114°  20' 
W.  long.,  and  to  74°  83'  N.  lat.  In  this  region  the  animals  were 
so  tame  that  it  was  quite  evident  they  were  unused  to  the  pres- 
ence of  naan,  and  hence  the  inference  that  the  natives  did  not 
hunt  in  that  direction. 

The  search  in  Wellington  Channel  having  developed  no  signs 
of  Franklin's  presence,  it  was  now  thought  by  the  most  experi- 
enced that  he  had  probably  moved  toward  the  south-west  (rather 
late  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  gone  where  he  was  or- 
dered). Captain  Penny  had  gone  to  the  northern  limits  of  Wel- 
lington Channel  until  he  found  another  stretch  of  water,  which 
he  called  Victoria  Channel. 

:     ■:  ■       DR.  KANE's  DISCOVERY.  .-V' ^ 

Dr.  Kane,  who  at  this  time  accompanied  Lieutenant  De  Haven 
as  surgeon,  discovered  what  he  thought  to  be  traces  of  heavily- 
laden  sledges,  and  judged  from  their  direction  that  P'ranklin  had 
certainly  gone  north  from  Cape  Riley  with  his  ships  on  the  break- 
ing up  of  the  ice  in  1846,  and  that  through  Wellington  Channel 
he  had  reached  the  Polar  basin,  and  in  this  direction  the  Advance 
sailed  as  far  as  it  was  possible  to  proceed.  Dr.  Kane's  daring  on 
this  occasion  earned  for  him  among  the  British  officers  the  sobri- 
quet of  the  "  mad  Yankee."  But  no  more  relics  were  discovered 
at  this  time,  though  the  record  afterward  found  at  Point  Victory 
proved  that  Kane  was  right,  and  that  Franklin  did  attempt  that 
course,  but  was  turned  back. 


60  AUCriC  EXPElilKNCES. 

• 

The  Advance  returned  to  New  York  September  30,  and  the 
Rescue,  under  Lieutenant  Griffitli,  October  2,  1851. 

When  the  discoveries  on  Beechey  Ishmd  were  first  made,  the 
Prince  Albert  had  been  sent  home  to  carry  the  news  to  England, 
but  was  almost  immediately  dispatched  back  again  to  search  on 
the  shores  of  Prince  Regent  Inlet  and  the  neighborhood  of  Fury 
Beach  and  Cape  Walker. 

In  the  mean  while  Rae's  search,  in  1851,  had  been  to  the  south 
of  the  others,  and  as  his  search  had  been  very  thorough,  upon  his 
report,  it  was  concluded  that  Franklin  had  at  least  not  been  south 
of  the  American  main-land  coast  or  its  connecting  peninsulas. 

RUMORS   OF   MURDER   AND  CANNIBALISM. 

Sir  James  C.  Ross  reported  a  rumor  to  be  current  among  the 
Esquimaux  to  the  effect  that  Franklin's  party  had  been  murdered 
by  the  natives  in  Wostenholm  Sound,  and  that  cannibalism  had 
been  resorted  to;  and  to  verif)'^  or  dispose  of  this  story.  Lady 
Franklin  dispatched  the  IsaU-l,  Commander  Inglefield,  to  the 
section  indicated.  He  found  nothing  to  confirm  the  report,  and 
subsequently  went  up  Smith  Sound  to  lat.  78°  28'  21"—  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles  farther  than  any  one  had  yet  been  in  that 
direction. 

He  brought  back  the  encouraging  statement  that  in  the  highest 
latitude  he  had  attained  he  had  found  the  climate  more  genial, 
and  that  the  winds  from  the  north  were  less  cold  than  those  from 
the  south.  He  established  the  hitherto  only  suspecied  fact  of  the 
existence  of  Kennedy  Channel. 

Dr.  Kane's  theory  in  regard  to  the  Wellington  Channel  route 
appears  to  have  made  a  deep  impression  in  England,  for  we  next 
learn  that  in  April,  1852,  Sir  Edward  Belcher,  with  five  vessels, 
namely,  the  Assistance,  Resolute,  North  Star,  Pioneer,  and  Intrepid, 
with  several  tenders,  were  sent  out ;  the  Assistance  and  Pioneer 
were  especially  detailed  to  proceed  to  the  extreme  limits  of  Wel- 
lington Channel. 

In  the  spring  of  1853  Messrs.  Henry  Grinnell,  of  New  York, 
and  George  Peabody,  of  London  (the  latter  furnished  $10,000), 
with  other  private  parties,  fitted  out  another  expedition  under  the 
command  of  Dr.  E.  K.  Kane — he  who  had  been  "surgeon,  natu- 
ralist, and  historian  "  of  the  first  Grinnell  expedition  under  De 
Haven. 


BKLLOT.-THE  HRITISH  NAV^VL  FlOARD.  0| 

'  Liidy  Franklin,  in  that  year,  also  sent  the  liaitksnake  and  Isa- 
bel to  Behring  Strait  to  assist  Captains  CoUinson  and  M'Clure; 
and  Dr.  Rae  again  went  to  Boothia ;  and,  lastly,  the  Ladij  Frank- 
lin at)d  Phduix,  under  Cajjlain  Inglefield,  was  sent  to  Barrow 
Strait  to  aid  Sir  Edward  Belcher. 

THE  NORTH-WEST   PROBLEM   SOLVED. 

This  year  witnessed  the  actual  accomplishment  of  the  passage 
from  the  west  by  M'C'ure,  and  from  the  east  by  Captain  Kellet, 
one  of  whose  officers,  Lieutenant  Pim,  met  M'Clure  on  the  ice 
between  the  latter's  ship  and  Dealy  Island.  Twenty  days  later 
Captain  Collinson  came  up  in  bis  ship;  found  the  north-west  pas- 
sage solved,  and  turned  to  the  south-east,  completing  the  passage 
in  another  direction.  M'Clure,  having  wintered  in  1850  near 
where  the  connecting  waters  could  be  traced,  had,  by  observation, 
established  the  passage  as  early  as  October  31  of  that  year. 

After  reaching  England,  Captain  M'Clure  was  knighted  by  the 
Queen;  but  Collinson.  who  equally  deserved  the  credit,  received 
but  an  honorary  medal. 

BELLOT.  •        ; 

Out  of  the  mass  of  records  of  suffering,  danger,  and  death 
which  had  attended  many  of  the  expeditions,  the  imagination 
and  sentiment  of  nearly  all  the  Arctic  historians  have  singled 
out  for  special  sympathy  and  commiseration  the  fate  of  a  gallant 
young  Frenchman,  named  Rene  Bellot,  who  accompanied  Cap- 
tain Kennedy,  and  afterward  Captain  Inglefield,  as  a  volunteer 
explorer;  and  who,  during  a  violent  gale  of  wind,  was  blown 
from  a  piece  of  floating  ice  and  drowned,  August  18,  1853.  On 
September  4,  a  boat,  containing  his  chart,  journal,  and  other  per- 
sonal effects,  was  floated  down  into  the  hands  of  Sir  Edward 
Be'  her,  by  whose  party  they  were  picked  up  and  preserved. 

OBTUSENESS  OF  THE   BRITISH  NAVAL   BOARD. 

Of  all  the  inexplicable  occurrences  with  which  the  history  of 
Arctic  expeditions  has  at  times  astonished  the  world,  none  ap- 
pears to  us  so  utterly  unintelligible  as  the  course  of  the  English 
Admiralty  in  its  instructions  to  the  rescue  parties  sent  out  dur- 
ing the  first  six  or  seven  years  in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin. 
The  amazing  fact  confronts  us  that  not  one  of  these  exploring 


(J2  AKCTIC  KXl'KUIENCEH. 

parties,  ostensibly  sent  ibr  his  relief,  were  directed  to  that  section 
uf  country  where  he  wa^.-  most  likely  to  have  been  found. 

The  Admiralty  instructions  by  which  Franklin  was  to  be 
guided,  directed  him  to  go  {vide  Sec.  5  of  the  "Instructions") 
"  through  Lancaster  Sound  and  Barrow  Strait,  ivithoui  stojtpiny 
to  examine  any  openinfja  to  the  northward  or  southward  of  the 
latter;  but  to  push  on  to  the  westward  without  loss  of  time  on 
the  parallel  of  about  7-A|'^  to  Cape  Walker.  From  that  point  we 
desire  that  every  cllbit  be  used  to  penetrate  to  the  southtvard  and 
westward  in  a  course  as  direct  to  Behring  Strait  as  the  position 
and  extent  of  the  ice,  or  of  land  at  present  unknown,  may  admit." 

Yet,  in  the  face  of  these  instructions,  not  one  of  all  the  search- 
ing expeditions,  whether  fitted  out  by  the  Government,  the  Hud- 
son Bay  Company,  or  by  private  generosity,  either  from  England 
or  America,  were  directed  to  Melville  Sound  the  only  spot  where 
these  instructions  could,  if  followed,  have  carried  him.  Almost 
every  other  accessible  part  of  the  Arctic  regions  was  faithfully 
scoured  from  Baffin  Bay  to  Beliring  Strait,  but  not  the  place  to 
which  he  was  sent !  :  .»  i 

PROVIDENTIAL  MENTAL  COERCION. 

The  extraordinary  obtusencss  on  this  point  existing  among  so 
many  men  of  intelligence,  and  many  also  of  ])ractical  Arctic  ex- 
perience, accustomed  to  obey  Admiralty  orders,  really  looks  like 
one  of  those  Providential  coercions  by  which  the  minds  of  men 
are  controlled  for  purposes  not  perceived  until  the  time  has  long 
passed,  with  all  its  exciting  discussions  and  prejudiced  interests. 

We  may  now  possibly  perceive  a  utility  in  this  abnormal  con- 
dition of  the  reasoning  powers  which  led  the  British  Admiralty 
continually  away  from  their  own  instructions  to  Sir  John  Frank- 
lin. '-■■     •-  '  '*•■■. 

Let  us  suppose  that  tlie  first  rescue  party  had  been  sent  to 
where  he  was — south  of  Melville  Sound,  and  the  whole  mystery 
had  been  at  once  cleared  up.  It  is  quite  possible  that,  there  and 
then,  Arctic  explorations  would  have  received  their  quietus  for 
many  years,  and  the  splendid  series  of  discoveries  which  have 
.since  followed  by  Ross,  Parry,  Rae,  Back,  Penny,  De  Ilaven, 
Kane,  Hayes,  Hall,  and  others — nearly  all  looking  in  the  wrong 
direction — would  have  remained  in  silent  obscurity,  their  thrill- 
ing stories  all  untold.     On  the  theory  of  an  ulterior  Providential 


ANOTUKIi  KESCUK  SHIP.  6;^ 

intent  can  we  alono  expUiin  the  singular  conduct  of  the  Naval 
Board. 

It  was  not  until  five  years  after  the  question  of  Franklin's 
safety  was  mooted  that  Dr.  Hue  penetrated  to  Cai)e  Walker;  and 
beyond  that  there  seemed  a  fatality,  brooding  over  all  the  ex- 
plorers which  tabooed  the  only  true  and  proper  course  to  the 
south  and  west  of  Melville  Sound.  Every  plucc  to  which  he 
was  not  sent  was  thoroughly  ransacked;  whither  he  was  sent 
not  a  single  ship  or  man  wa.s  ordered  by  the  British  Admiralty. 

The  region  referred  to  lies  between  103°  and  115°  W.  long., 
and  between  the  73°  and  74°  parallels  of  N.  Int. 

THE   FOULOUN    HOPE. 

After  there  was  none,  or  the  faintest  possible  liope,  that  any 
survivors  of  the  party  remained,  Lady  Franklin  succeeded  in  get- 
ting the  little  steam-yacht  Fox  fitted  up  for  a  final  conclusive 
search.  This  vessel  sailed  from  Aberdeen  on  the  1st  of  July, 
1857,  under  the  command  of  Lady  Franklin's  devoted  friend,  the 
experienced  Arctic  explorer,  Captain  M'Clintock.  He  met  with 
a  most  unparalleled  and  provoking  delay  during  his  first  sea- 
son, by  getting  entangkj  in  the  pack-ice  off  Melville  Bay,  in 
which  he  was  inclosed,  and  finally  drifted  to  the  vicinity  of 
Disco,  and  southward. 

Reaching  free  water  on  the  2'ith  of  April,  1848,  after  a  drift  of 
two  hundred  and  forty-two  days,  and,  as  he  estimated,  eleven 
hundred  and  ninety-four  geographical  miles  —  the  longest  and 
most  extraordinary  on  record  until  we  come  to  that  of  Captain 
Tyson's,  whicLi  was  fifteen  hundred  miles,  and  under  the  greatest 
contrast  of  circumstances.  The  drift  of  De  Ilaven  had  approach- 
ed it  in  length,  and  that  of  the  abandoned  ship  Resolute  exceeded 
it  in  romantic  interest;  while  the  ice-floe  drift  of  the  captain  and 
crew  of  the  German  exploring  ship  Ilansa  alone  affords  any  sort 
of  parallel  to  the  ice-borne  waifs  of  the  Polaris. 

Refitting  at  Disco,  Captain  M'Clintock  started  to  recover  his 
lost  ground  as  early  as  the  ice  would  permit.  lie  had  taken 
from  Goodhavn  the  tombstone  commemorative  of  Sir  John 
Franklin,  which  was  prepared  in  New  York  under  Lady  Frank- 
lin's orders,  and  which  had  been  originally  put  in  charge  of  Lieu- 
tenant Hartstene  when  he  went  to  the  relief  of  Dr.  Kane,  and 
which  had  been  left  by  him  in  Greenland. 


64  AUCTIC  KXI'KIUENCES. 

Proceeding  direct  to  Becclicy  Island,  Captain  M'Clintock  erect- 
ed the  monument  in  a  suitable  and  conspicuous  spot,  and  tlien 
proceeded,  vi<t  Prince  Kegent  Inlet,  Bellot  Strait,  and  Franklin 
Channel,  to  King  William  Land,  whicli  he  searched  as  thorough 
ly  as  time  permitted.  At  Erebus  Bay  be  found  a  boat  contain- 
ing two  skeletons,  which  were  identified  as  belonging  to  the  miss- 
ing explorers;  and  while  he  was  thus  encouraged  to  liope  that 
the  solution  of"  the  mystery  was  close  at  hand,  his  lieutenant,  Mr. 
Ilobson,  had  actually  found  at  Victory  Point  the  record  which 
told  of  the  death  of  the  gallant  Sir  John,  for  whom  two  nations 
had  been  in  search  for  ten  successive  years.  The  date  of  Sir  John 
Franklin's  death  was  given  as  occurring  on  the  11th  of  July, 
1847  —  two  years  from  the  time  of  his  leaving  England,  But 
what  became  of  the  one  hundred  and  five  men  living  at  that  time 
remained,  to  a  great  extent,  as  mysterious  as  ever,  until  Captain 
C,  F.  Hall's  explorations  of  1864-69.  The  Esquimaux  story  of 
the  death  of  the  greater  part  by  exhaustion  and  starvation,  and 
probable  cannibalism,  as  reported  by  Ross  and  Dr,  Rae,  might  be 
true,  but  up  to  the  time  of  Hall's  researches  they  bad  not  been 
positively  proved,  or  that  all  who  composed  the  expedition  of  the 
Erebus  and  Terror  were  dead;  and  of  the  ships  no  certain  knowl- 
edge was  obtained  till  Hall's  visit.  After  collecting  ample  sup- 
j)lies  of  relics  belonging  to  the  lost  party.  Captain  M'Clintock  re- 
turned to  Aberdeen,  and  thenceforward  the  search  w^as  consid- 
ered ended  by  the  English  Government  and  people. 

Not  so  in  this  country.  There  was  one  man,  at  least,  in  the 
United  States,  away  to  the  westward,  in  the  noble  State  of  Ohio, 
who  was  pondering  by  day  and  dreaming  by  night  of  the  possi- 
ble fate  of  some  poor  soul  yet  surviving  among  the  Esquimaux; 
that  man  was  Charles  Francis  Hall.  What  he  did  tow%ard  clear- 
ing up  the  mystery  will  be  found  narrated  in  the  chapter  entitled 
"Biographical  Sketch  of  Captain  Hall." 

Daring  1853-55  Dr.  Kane  was  pursuing  the  search  in  a  north- 
erly direction,  via  Smith  Sound,  making  extensive  discoveries  on 
the  west  coast  of'Greenland — once  attempting  to  reach  Beechey 
Island  on  a  sledge-journey,  but  driven  back  by  an  impenetrable 
barrier  of  hummocky  ice.  But  his  own  account  is  too  recent 
and  familiar  to  need  extended  notice  here,  except  to  say,  in  ex- 
planation of  his  taking  what  appears,  at  the  first  thought,  so  un- 
likely a  route  as  Smith  Sound  to  find  Franklin,  who  was  known 


■-fSl^S* 


PROFIT  AND  LOSS.  67 

to  have  gone  to  the  west ;  that  having  discovered,  as  our  readers 
will  remember,  the  sledge -tracks  at  the  mouth  of  Wellington 
Channel,  he  believed  the  missing  party  had  sailed  north  through 
those  waters  until  they  had  reached  the  Polar  Sea,  and  that  they 
were  there  detained ;  and  that,  consequently,  the  most  direct  way 
of  reaching  and  aiding  them  was  to  get  to  the  same  place  by  the 
most  feasible  route,  which  he  believed  was  Smith  Sound  cind  con- 
necting waters. 

Dr.  Hayes's  journeys  and  subsequent  publications  have  famil- 
iarized the  reading  public,  not  only  with  the  history  and  resources 
of  Greenland,  but  also  with  the  contour  of  the  western  shore  of 
Smith  Sound  and  Grinnell  Land,  and  beyond  up  to  Cape  Union, 
the  most  northern  point  observed  up  to  that  period,  or  until  the 
observations  made  from  the  Polaris. 

While  Hall  was  searching  Frobisher  Bay,  Hayes  was  heading 
due  north  along  the  shore  of  Grinnell  Land  with  a  perseverance 
and  courage  which,  since  the  death  of  Captain  Hall,  leaves  him 
with  scarcely  a  rival  in  Arctic  research. 

PROFIT   AND  LOSS, 

Among  those  general  readers  who  have  not  made  a  specialty 
of  Arctic  literature,  but  are  familiar  only  with  the  widely-bruited 
failures  of  certain  unfortunate  explorers,  it  naturally  enough  ap- 
pears that  the  expense,  suffering,  and  loss  of  life  far  outweigh  any 
possible  benefits  to  be  derived  from  continued  explorations.  But 
the  degree  of  publicity  given  to  Arctic  expeditions  has  usually 
followed  the  reverse  rule  which  prevails  in  other  more  or  less 
speculative  enterprises.  In  most  of  these,  the  successes,  like  the 
drawing  of  a  grand  prize  in  a  lottery,  is  heralded  throughout  the 
land,  while  the  failures  are  quietly  kept  in  obscurity.  The  very 
opposite  course  has  habitually  occurred  in  the  matter  of  Arctic 
explorations — the  disasters,  the  losses,  the  deaths  have  all  been 
made  the  most  of,  published  with  every  setting  and  surrounding, 
to  make  them  appear  the  main  results  of  an  expedition,  when,  in 
fact,  they  have  been  but  the  accidents,  the  unavoidable  incidents, 
of  traveling  over  new  and  unknown  lands  or  seas.  All  the  dis- 
asters which  have  befallen  Polar  voyagers  are  not  to  be  attribu- 
ted to  the  climate.  The  latitude  has  been  innocent  of  many  mis- 
fortunes attributed  to  it.  Very  often  has  an  expedition  been 
marred  by  bringing  together,  without  sufficient  discrimination. 


68 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


»B.  KAME. 


ill-assorted  companions,  whose  incongruity  has  only  become  the 
more  apparent  the  longer  they  were  kept  together;  and  still 
more  frequently  has  their  efficiency  been  greatly  impeded  by  the 
continued  use  of  disease-inducing  food,  and  other  reasons  which 
may  now  be  regarded  as  belonging  to  the  past,  and  in  no  way 
necessary  of  repetition  in  organizing  future  expeditions. 

WHAT  IS  THE   USE   OF  ARCTIC  EXPLORATIONS? 

Notwithstanding  the  immense  additions  which  Arctic  explo- 
rations have  made  to  our  scientific  knowledge,  there  are  still 
people  left  who  persist  in  asking,  "What  is  the  use  of  Arctic 
explorations?"  and  though  we  mighi  attempt  to  answer  them, 
we  conceive  that,  to  minds  capable  of  propounding  the  above 
proposition,  whatever  the  answer,  it  would  prove  unsatisfactory 
to  these  querists;  for  that  sort  of  intellectual  apathy  which  can 
regard  any  kind  of  knowledge  as  useless  makes  hopeless  the  dis- 
cussion of  its  value. 

If  all  study,  inquiry,  and  experiment  were  suspended,  except 
such  as  promised  immediate  and  profitable  return,  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  brain-force  eventually  prolific  of  the  most  inter- 


THE  USE  OF  ARCTIC  EXPLORATION.  (fy 

estiag  and  valuable  results  would  be  incontinently  obliterated. 
Had  the  scientists  of  past  ages  been  obliged  to  show  a  presert 
paying  application  of  the  crucial  tests  with  which  they  endea\- 
ored  to  force  open  the  sacred  arcana  of  nature,  the  nineteenth 
century  would  scarcel}'  have  reached  to  the  mental  condition  of 
the  Dark  Ages ;  or,  rather,  the  nations  would  never  have  emerged 
^rom  the  sensuous  bonds  of  barbarism — a  showy  and  luxurious 
barbarism,  perhaps,  but  certainly  resting  in  a  condition  devoid 
of  any  high  culture  or  worthy  mental  effort. 

But  to  those,  on  the  other  hand,  imbued  with  a  genuine  love 
of  knowledge  for  its  own  sake,  no  expense,  toil,  or  suffering 
seems  too  great  to  purchase  even  the  slightest  addition  to  our 
sum  total  of  facts;  still  more  valued  is  iae  elucidation  of  those 
suggestive  ideas  which  lead  to  the  discovery  of  governing  laws 
and  fixed  principles  in  art,  science,  morals,  or  philosophy;  and 
thus  the  answer  to  the  query,  "  What  is  the  use  of  Arctic  explora- 
tions?" will  be  as  different  as  the  life  aim  of  those  who  discuss  it. 

REMOTE   ADVANTAGES. 

Some  brains  appear  organically  incapable  of  comprehending  or 
grasping  remote  and  contingent  uses  ;  they  must  see  the  finished 
product  turned  out  by  the  complicated  machinery,  or  they  can 
perceive  no  virtue  in  belts  and  wheels,  cams  and  eccentrics;  and 
to  such  as  these  the  fact  that  a  north-west  passage  through  the 
Polar  regions  is  obviously  impracticable  for  commercial  purposes, 
settles  the  question  that  all  geographical  and  scientific  research 
in  that  direction  is  a  mere  senseless  battering  of  human  endur- 
ance against  the  elemental  forces  of  cold  and  ice  and  sunless  at- 
mospheres. 

ANCIENT  GRADGRINDS.  ... 

This  sort  of  people,  had  they  existed,  as  no  doubt  many  did,  in 
the  B.C.  eras  of  the  world,  would  have  stood  mocking  at  the  sim- 
ple gnomon,  and  the  apparently  demented  individuals  who,  hour 
by  hour,  day  by  day,  month  by  month,  and  year  by  year,  con- 
tinued, with  enthusiastic  and  tireless  vigil,  to  watch,  measure, 
mark,  and  record  the  exact  length  of  the  shadow  which  it  cast. 
"  What  is  the  use  of  knowing  the  length  of  that  shadow  ?— what 
a  fool  to  spend  life  in  that  way!"  cried  the  old  Gradgrinds  of 
China,  Arabia,  and  Egypt.     Yet  out  of  this  seeming  frivolous 


70 


ARCTIC  EXrERlENCES. 


DB.  HAYES. 


proceeding  grew  up  the  noble  science  of  astro,  \  my,  without  a 
knowledge  of  which  our  mariners  would  still  Ll  "reeping  around 
the  shores  of  continents,  not  daring  to  ■''■enture  out  of  sight  of 
land. 


PENDULUM  EXPERIMENTS. 

Early  in  the  present  century  various  stations  in  the  Old  and 
New  Worlds,  ranging  from  the  equator  to  Nova  Zembla,  were 
visited  by  a  veteran  traveler,  who  was  looked  upon  by  the  igno- 
rant as  "  crazy."  He  always  carried  with  him  various  clocks  and 
detached  pendulums ;  and  when  he  landed  at  any  point,  his  first 
object  was  to  secure  a  solid  foundation  whereon  to  place  his 
clocks ;  his  next,  to  find  or  construct,  partly  underground,  a 
small  building,  within  which  to  suspend  his  pendulums,  and  this 
inclosure  he  always  insisted  must  be  so  contrived  as  to  secure  a 
perfectly  equal  temperature  during  the  whole  period  of  his  ob- 
servations. :<-  :,  -      ,;  >  . 


THE  DEVOTE^'.S  OF  SCIENCE.  71 

He  came  and  went  in  a  vessel  of  the  British  navy,  and  much 
the  seamen  wondered ;  and  the  natives  of  various  half-civilized 
countries  looked  on  in  astonishment,  asking,  "  What  could  be  the 
use  of  that  old  man  burying  his  clocks  and  pendulums  for  weeks 
at  a  time,  when  no  one  but  himself  and  assistant  could  see  them?" 
But  the  scientific  world  has  long  known  that  the  "crazy  man  "^ 
was  the  renowned  Sabine,  and  that  through  his  pendulum  exper- 
iments was  obtained  the  exact  difference  of  clock  rates  at  the 
equator  and  successive  parallels  of  latitude  approaching  the  poles, 
and  thus  was  secured  the  necessary  data  for  calculating  the  ob- 
lateness  of  the  earth,  and  sequently  accounting  for  the  precession 
of  the  equinoxes.  ;  , 

SCIENTIFIC   DEVOTEES. 

The  ultimate  uses  of  scientific  research,  under  which  head  may 
now  be  classed  all  Polar  explorations,  is  scarcely  ever  realized  in 
its  fullness  even  by  those  most  devoted  to  the  pursuit;  but  it  may 
safely  be  asserted  that  no  kind  or  degree  of  positive  knowledge 
has  ever  been  obtained  without  yielding  valuable  fruit — yes,  a 
hundred-fold  as  compared  with  the  toil  of  obtaining  it;  not  often, 
however,  does  the  reward  fall  to  the  immediate  discoverer,  but 
more  frequently  on  the  world  at  large  is  the  eventual  benefit  con- 
ferred. Thus  it  has  been  in  mathematics,  and  notably  in  chem- 
istry, in  geographical  research,  and  in  every  branch  of  science. 
The  way  is  strewn  with  willing  martyrs,  whose  enthusiasm  has 
been  inexplicable  to  those  of  cooler  temperaments,  greater  cau- 
tion, and  lacking  that  insight  which  enables  the  scientific  devotee 
to  count  a  perilous  or  toilsome  life-long  effort  as  nothing,  if  the 
truth  be  learned,  the  experiment  succeed,  the  end  be  gained,  the 
victory  won,  and  at  last  the  doubters  and  mockers  be  over- 
whelmed with  the  practical  benefits  evolved,  making  the  uses  of 
science  intelligible  even  to  them.  '  i        . 

ARCTIC  FAILURES  AND  SUCCESSES. 

In  regard  to  Arctic  expeditions,  though  all  have  so  far  failed 
of  reaching  the  geographical  pole,  yet  none  have  been  wholly 
failures;  from  each  something  has  been  learned,  by  which  suc- 
ceeding ones  have  profited.  And  though  to  the  inconsiderate, 
who  draw  their  deductions  rather  from  the  great  hopes  of  Cap- 
tain Hall  than  from  the  actual  results,  the  Poland  expedition  has 


72  ARCTIC  exi'euip:nces. 

been  called  a  great  failure,  we  think  it  will  be  found  by  all  who 
peruse  these  pages  that,  instead  of  being  a  failure  in  any  scien- 
tific sense,  it  has  been  a  great  success,  not  only  in  the  fact  of  Cap- 
tain llall  having  reached  with  his  ship  a  higher  latitude  than  any 
ever  yet  attained  in  that  direction,  but  also  in  the  added  stock 
of  scientific  observations  made  on  board,  especially  those  which 
show  entirely  unsuspected  conditions  of  magnetic  polarity,  as 
evidenced  by  the  dip,  and  the  amount  of  variation  in  the  needle 
in  the  high  latitudes  reached  by  the  Polaris,  with  many  other 
facts  of  value  secured  by  the  Scientific  Corps. 

MODERN   FACILITIES. 

The  probability  is  now  becoming  every  year  more  apparent 
that,  with  the  increased  resources  of  modern  art,  difficulties  to 
which  the  earlier  navigators  succumbed  will  be  effectually  sur- 
mounted. The  art  of  preserving,  by  hermetically  sealing,  so 
many  varieties  of  food,  has  already  reduced  the  dangers  of  sick- 
ness in  uninhabited  regions  to  its  minimum,  while  each  year  adds 
something  to  the  mechanical  contrivances  which  makes  an  ex- 
tended residence  in  the  Polar  regions  less  and  less  hazardous; 
and  there  appears  no  reason  why  success  in  the  now  limited  ob- 
ject of  search  should  not,  within  a  comparatively  brief  period, 
perch  upon  the  banner  of  some  succeeding  Arctic  explorer. 

The  famous  navigator  Captain  Cook  thought  that  no  one  would 
ever  get  nearer  to  the  South  Pole  than  he  had  done;  yet  Sir 
James  Ross  and  our  own  Wilkes  have  made  his  discoveries  in- 
significant by  their  greater  daring.  Pigafetta,  the  companion  of 
Magellan,  when  he  had  circumnavigated  the  globe,  thought  he 
laad  performed  a  feat  which  "  would  never  be  repeated  by  mortal 
man!"  while  the  larger -brained  and  larger -hearted  Columbus, 
when  be  first  touched  the  shore  of  San  Domingo,  exclaimed,  "  El 
inundo  es  poco!" — the  loorld  is  Utile  J — as  if  in  his  soul  he  longed 
for  greater  dangers  to  overcome,  and  wider  seas  over  which  to 
sail. 

This  was  the  true  spirit  of  progress,  he  the  true  enthusiast; 
while  the  men  who  are  forever  asking  "What  is  the  use?"  are 
the  drag-anchors  of  society,  who,  if  listened  to,  which,  happily, 
they  are  not,  would  keep  the  world  forever  in  its  swaddling- 
clothes.  -  '   .     •  '       , 


MODERN  CHIVALRY.  73 

UNEXPLORED  AREA. 

Of  the  land  surface  of  the  earth,  11,600,000  square  miles,  or 
one-seventeenth  of  the  whole,  is  grouped  within  the  Polar  regions 
—  a  tract,  as  the  French  savant,  lieolus,  points  out,  sixty  times  the 
area  of  France.  Now,  should  it  not  convince  the  most  obtuse 
that,  while  scientists  remain  practically  unacquainted  with  so 
much  of  the  land  surface  of  the  planet,  that  there  must  necessa- 
rily remain  many  problems,  not  geographical  only,  but  meteoro- 
logical, tidal,  and  especially  electrical  and  magnetic,  unanswered? 
ilow  give  a  true  solution  of  any  complex  scientific  subject,  while 
so  many  of  its  component  parts  remain  unknown  quantities? 

That  the  north  Polar  region,  with  its  grand  focal  problem,  will 
yet  be  conquered  by  the  courage  of  our  navigators  and  the  self- 
sacrificing  spirit  of  science,  during  this  or  a  near  succeeding  gen- 
eration, we  have  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt. 

MODERN   CHIVALRY.  ;  .        ,      . 

There  is  one  other  part  of  this  subject  which  we  can  not  over- 
look, namely,  the  development  and  encouragement  of  a  noble,  chiv- 
alrous sentiment,  which  in  these  latter  days  has  but  few  opportu- 
nities for  exercise.  The  giants  and  the  dragons  are  all  dead,  and 
the  chivalry  of  the  Mediaeval  Ages  is  no  longer  needed  by  the 
gentle  dames,  who  are  learning  so  rapidly  how  to  fight  for  them- 
selves. Livingstone  and  Baker  are  bound  to  exhaust  Africa,  and 
\vhat  is  there  left?  The  Arctic  regions  alone  remain  a  terra  in- 
cognita, so  attractive  to  the  knights-errant  of  science.  Where, 
then,  shall  the  Mr.  Greathearts  disport  themselves,  if  not  in  the 
land  of  the  Aurora?  Away  with  your  calculating  financiers,  who 
count  the  cost  of  every  thing  to  the  uttermost  farthing;  and  give 
place  to  the  royal  enthusiasts  who  are  ready  once  more  to  try 
again— ready  to  attack  and  demolish  the  only  geographical  mvs- 
tery  left  to  this  book-whelmed  generation. 

Do  you  doubt  the  courage?  do  you  doubt  the  chivalry? 
Hunt  up  your  books  of  travel,  bring  out  your  biographies,  and 
see  if  you  can  find  a  parallel  to  the  courage,  skill,  endurance,  tact, 
self-control,  and  Christian  trust  in  an  ever-guiding  Providence 
which  enabled  the  chief  officer  on  the  ice-floe,  Captain  Tyson,  to 
maintain,  without  any  positive  exhibition  of  authority,  a  tranquil, 
firm,  and  careful  oversight  of  the  eighteen  persons  providentially 


74  ARCmC  EXPERIENCES. 

thrown  upon  his  direction.  "He  cjuld  liave  made  hi.s  own  way 
back  to  the  ship,  but  he  would  not  desert  the  women  and  chil- 
dren," said  one.  "There  was  not  much  commanding  done  on 
the  ice;  but  if  we  went  contrary  to  what  he  advised,  it  always 
turned  out  v/rong,"  said  another;  and  this  fur  six  months,  on  a 
voyage  of  over  fifteen  hundred  miles  on  broken  and  shifting  ice! 
"For  eighty  days  the  sun  did  not  show  itself  above  the  horizon: 
and  when  it  did,  only  for  a  few  hours  at  a  time:"  denying  him- 
self needful  food,  tiiat  others  might  not  lack;  encouraging  and 
supporting  the  desponding,  and  with  his  great  j)hysical  strength, 
acquired  by  long  acclimatization,  holding  the  weaker  to  their 
places  while  the  winds  and  waves  contended  for  their  hunger- 
smitten  bodies. 

A  PURE  AMBITION. 

No;  if  it  is  recorded  within  the  archives  of  fate  that  Arctic 
explorations  are  to  be  forever  balUed  of  their  great  purpose,  let 
us  take  no  hand  in  crushing  out  the  spirit  which  inspires  them. 
It  is  a  pure  and  healthful  ambition  to  add  to  the  world's  knowl- 
edge; to  carry  the  flag  of  our  country  where  human  foot  has 
never  trod;  to  unravel  the  mystery  of  ages,  and  to  close  up  the 
hopes  and  eflbrts  of  the  centuries  with  a  successful  invasion  of 
those  hidden  realms  which  kings  and  princes  have  desired  to  see 
unveiled.  How  much  nobler  and  purer  is  such  an  ambition  than 
is  the  unceasing  strife  for  gain,  or  the  petty  jealousies  of  ofBce- 
hunting,  or  the  belittling  pursuit  of  ease  and  pleasure,  as  the  end 
and  aim  of  life?  Instead  of  discouraging  and  repressing  the  spirit, 
of  adventure  and  research,  it  becomes  oyery  Government,  and 
brings  honor  to  every  people,  who  systematically  cherish  and 
foster  it;  and  that  life  is  not  lost  which  is  sacrificed  in  such  pur- 
suits. 


E8<)riMAC    WOMAN  8  KNIFK. 


KEFLECTIONS  ON  THE  ICE-FLOE.  75 


CHAPTER  11. 
CAPTAIN  Tyson's  early  arctic  experience. 

(^aptain  Tyson's  Reflections  on  the  lee-floe. — Nativity. — Early  Life. — Ships  a.«  a 
Wlialer. — Death  of  Shipmate. — Arrives  at  the  Greenland  Seas. — The  "Middle 
Ice." — The  "North  Water."— First  Sight  of  Esquimaux. — The  Danes  in  Green- 
land.— The  Devil's  Thumb. — Meets  De  Haven. — Whales  and  their  Haunts. — A 
prolonged  Struggle  with  a  Whale. — Sailors'  Tricks. — Cheating  the  Mollimokes. — 
Young  Tyson  volunteers  to  winter  ashore  at  Cumberland  Gulf. — The  Pet  Seal. — 
Life  Ashore. — Relieved  by  the  True  Love. — Is  taken  to  England. —  Returns  to 
the  Arctic  Regions. — Sights  tlie  abandoned  British  Ship  Resolute. — Witli  three 
Companions  boards  the  Resolute. — Finds  Wine  in  the  Glasses. — All  have  a  good 
Time.  —  Don  the  Officers'  Uniforms. — Returns  to  his  Ship. — Ships  as  Second  Mate 
in  the  George  Henry. — As  First  Officer. — As  (^aptain  of  the  Brig  (ieorgianu. — 
Meets  Captain  Charles  F.  Hall. -^Witnesses  and  tries  to  prevent  the  Loss  of  the 
Rescue. — Sails  as  Master  of  the  Orray  Tnft,  of  New  Bedford. — Of  the  Antelope. 
— Sails  to  Repulse  Bay,  and  takes  the  first  Whale  cap  urcd  in  those  Waters. — 
Again  meets  Captain  Hall,  and  supj)lies  him  with  a  Boat. — Peculiar  Electrical 
Phenomena  at  Repulse  Bay. — Sails  in  tlie  Top-sail  Schooner  Era. — Meets  Cap- 
tain Hall,  then  "in  training  '  with  the  Es(iuimaux. — Log-book  Records. — Winters 
asiiore  at  Niountelik  Harbor. — Removes  from  New  London  to  Brooklyn. — Sails  in 
the  Polaris  as  Assistant  Navigator. 

'•  While  floating  down  on  the  ice-floe,  in  the  midst  of  dirt  and 
darkness,  hungry  and  cold,  I  often  thought  of  friends  at  home, 
and  wondered  how  many  of  them  would  have  been  able  to  en- 
<lure  the  exposure  to  which  our  whole  party  was  subjected;  and, 
most  of  all,  I  wondered  at  myself  that  I  could  have  learned,  in  a 
few  short  month.s,  to  have  eaten  such  things,  and  submitted  to 
.such  practices,  as  but  few  civilized  persons  have  ever  been  called 
to  endure.  In  regard  to  the  physical  strength  and  vital  resist- 
ance of  my  system,  that  is  no  doubt  to  be  accounted  for,  in  great 
measure,  by  my  previous  life. 

"  I  had  been  for  twenty-three  years  sailing  the  Northern  and 
Arctic  seas ;  I  had  not  seen  a  Fourth  of  July  within  the  United 
States  for  twenty  years,  and  but  a  few  days  of  summer  weather 
in  this  latitude  for  the  same  period;  a  part  of  the  month  of  June, 
1871,  just  before  the  Polaris  sailed,  was  all  the  summer  I  had  ex- 
perienced in  the  temperate  zone  for      ■.  d  ^^-ades.     I  bad  plenty 


(6 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


4<''*rff*i« 


M  tiw  itt.  b«t»  ■■fcifiiimiiljf,  mam  ef  iJm  usm. 

ft  griiwliiig.  iBKntif  kwpK.  mm  muAA  (iuitlc  «€  asulttflf 

«•  ImI  irfl  IwMi  dM^  m  MM^  ««r  Imnpi'  toff  ft  iw  iniMwi  M 

#»  iMMwIi  'MiM  l»  fiigMlMi:  ftMl  i»  ai  MMirwii  f  jfatmi 

II  liMit  jiimlii  «f  Mfr  fmwiaiii  ymfiip*;  «•#  ■•  limf  tM 

m  hm»  «iC  ft  mmmm  m»k  Hh*  iW'iMMl,  mui  vtU  Iwjfi 

m^  ■HMw«'iitf  iir  *m4jmmmm,  ti  mug  ftft  Mil  gp  tft  t#  ft 


SHIPS  AS  A  WHALER.  77 

'•  I  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey ;  but  in  early  infancy 
my  parents  removed  to  New  York  city,  where  I  received  my 
early  education,  and  when  of  suitable  age  I  commenced  work  in 
an  iron-foundry  —  my  parents,  like  nearly  all  others,  desiring  to 
keep  their  sons  upon  the  land.  But  my  heart  was  always  on 
the  seas,  and  particularly  I  longed  to  see  something  of  the  Arctic 
world;  the  naiiies  of  Hoss  and  Parry  and  Franklin  had  seized 
u})on  my  imagination,  and  I  longed  to  follow  in  their  track.  To 
witness  the  novel  scenes,  and  to  share  in  the  dangers  of  Arctic 
travel,  was  at  that  period  the  height  of  my  ambition ;  and  while 
watching  the  fiery  liquid  ore  that  was  presetitly  to  apj)ear  in  the 
shape  of  grates  and  fenders,  my  fancy  wa.s  off  among  the  ice- 
bergs; and,  despite  the  dicta  of  Shakspeare.  1  sometimes  almost 
managed  to  cool  my  heated  brow^  with 

'Thinking  of  the  frwty  CaucaMUH,' 

I  was  di.sgu.<?te<i  with  shop  labor;  and  aH  no  ofifw)rtunitv  r>ff«Te<l 
for  joining  any  A'  jc  exploring  party.  I  concluded  trj»  do  the 
next  bei^t  thing,  anu  rfhip  in  a  whalrr,  which  at  leant  would  bear 
me  a  lew  degrees  toward  the  coveUni  regionit  f)f  perpetual  lee, 

**  In  execution  of  thu*  inti-niion.  I  i»hif»fM*d  on  l«rtird  a  Sew 
London  whaler,  the  Iwirk  J/  C'^'"".  <"a}'t.i!ti  William  (^nayle.  in 
l^5<»,  when  [  wju«  about  twenty  ow  ym)* ..]  a^,-,  'I'jie  SlCUUmi 
wsM  Uiunrl  U)  <>  >  u  .uid  and  a<ijae<.'tit  msam.  ft  wan  CftpUun 
<4(iayle'a  intention.  h«>W4»irer.  to  Utkv  i\w  wm\m%tm  tin?  miMt  nf 
Lahratii^r  fimt,  and  (or  that  purfMiw  Mnk^l  v«fy  miAf  m  ikim  mm- 
tmu  ^vi^  lf«w  Uemion  tm  ^  lik  ni  F«bfiiiirjr,  tiift 

'  AAir  iMMf  mm  Ufw  wmkM,  mm  of  mut  Aifmmtm  #ii.  Mil 
wm  kmmi  m  mm.    Tliia  mmm  m  Jlgjn  ^bm§  it  inmnt 

VaO  Mi  Mt  4n^NNfMSIIM■l  It  QM  racilflp  mi  IpiM  tHMlMMMItir  flf  t 

m  MM,  mfmm^f  «Im9  wiimMii  for  iJm  §m  ^m- 
pmwm  miwiirn  1 1»  iht  mmmmim  of  tiii.    Whm  «• 
.mm  kkmiB  m  ^  #MNi4.  tlM>f««  mmm  nwi^tiiii  m  «f 

MM  MM|r  HMa  wMy  MMHV  MB  HHB  MM!  wm  MMM  ,  iMt 
'ilMlllllii  >ii#  iMiM  iMif  tfM  m$k  M4i>,  1^ 

»*tib  iImi  tiiMinHiiiiiiMiiim  iMl  n 


78  ARCTIC  EXl'EIilENCES. 

while,  along  uie  known  currents  which  set  to  or  from  the  ship, 
but  beyond  that  we  know  not  its  journey,  or  whither  it  is  carried 
— wliether  it  ever  comes  to  rest,  or  is  ceaselessly  borne  about  by 
the  ever-shifting  waters,  until  the  continual  friction  first  denudes 
the  body  of  its  covering,  and  then  the  bones  of  its  llesli,  or,  per- 
hajjs.  that  it  is  destined  to  furnish  a  ghastly  meal  to  some  mon- 
ster of  the  deep. 

**  *  A  |iluri;{('  anil  a  •|ila«>h.  and  oiir  fa-k  whk  o'er; 
The  billiiw^  iuIIimI  u«  iIkm  nillcl  iH-rnrc. 
Aixl  nuiny  a  rude  pravcr  halliiv«<i|  iln-  wave 
Am  it  roiled  uInj\c  hin  ix-euii  ifruve.' 

NevorthelcHB  we  know  that  at  th**  hu*t  they  nhall  not  be  forgot- 
ten,    VV'c  have  th*-  [ironiitM'  that  'th*-  wea  Mhall  give  up  itj«  dead.' 

'*  We  had  a  rough  paitKnge  to  N<wfouhdlarid  :  buton  getting  in 
th<*  ice  oil'  th»'  eita!*t  o(  I^ibrador,  ht  lound  much  <«iii<Kith<T  wui- 
Mjg,  but  very  eoid.  Ilf-n-  w  inrt  u  veiwel  in  the  we  (I  forget  ber 
name^;  hIii;  wm  out  of  pruviiiiotits,  niid  »  {niri  of  ber  crew  cmih' 
over  Um?  brok<  *;  i. .  Ut  «t>lidt  «m1,  fliid  mrt  in  vain.  CapUun 
<^imvle  |piy«  ili«ra  aJJ  tlM  fetxi  tliey  oimki  mrrv,  frith  whmh  liter 
joyfully  n^mmaA  U»  tkmr  tmn  vfiiadL 

**  Kimitiig  nn  mwI*.  w**  mmm  }cfl  (irir  iW  C«fw«»ti^MHl  Uttm.  nrnv- 
m^&K  ttm^mkm  Ukmd  iti  tW  «^rlv  |«rt  t4 MmmIi:  mnA  I  <tMl 
mmif  fti^gi*  A*  HarrMM*  wc^titer  *<-  «'X|i(*fr-«iii«i  m  ^m  itm»ttf 
-kn  ilf'  M .,  kMi^.  aboNH  «r  to  «r  #.,  *•  MWii  end  «-*«<«# 
HH^wvi^iii  msHn.     I  uuiiis  vn^  Mmm  MiiHN^  nnnti 


MMML  IPwMI  WmMt  Wir  f*ttCMiHNi  ^Hiir'  'WHflff^^.  WttMt 

■I^^^V  ^WF    Iff  ^H^^^^Kv  ^nHiffV  IB^^^  ^^W^^p     w^Wp    WRHT    HB^HW^^f    ^pB^^   liPflF 

^^  <lifjnfk<i<  ^Ni  I  4mmm$  mm  li^iiplrtti*-  .:#  g# 

'1H^^V1|PIP  ^iMV  -^iw^^^p    .^•iWMIHP  ^mniMi<..  sIMp  iMMHHiVlw  SMV     Sir    3|B||IP  -^HP 


SEAL  HUXTIXG. 


79 


encouragement  to  the  rest  of  the  party  while  we  were  on  our 
long  drift,  knowing  that  once  we  could  reach  this  latitude,  all 
fear  of  starvation  would  be  at  an  end. 

"On  this  my  first  voyage  we  killed  numbers  of  these  seals,  and 
many  a  good  battle  we  had  with  them.  The  male,  in  partioilar. 
will  dclerid  his  family  to  the  death.  Th<.'.se  seals  are  quite  large, 
and  are  taken,  like  the  whale,  mainly  fi>r  the  oil. 

•'  Finding  no  whale  oft'  Ucsolution  J^Iand,  we  next  bore  away 


■m,- '  m  mmim^  pm  4i  mmm  Urn  md  t 


80  ARCTIC  EXPERIEXCES. 

York.  Sometimes  the  belt  is  wider  than  at  other  times;  tiiere 
is  a  difference  in  seasons.  Sometimes  it  extends  as  far  south 
as  Cape  Walsingham.  North  of  this  '  middle-ice'  is  what  whale- 
men call  the  '  north  water,'  which  is  always  free  in  summer. 

"The  whalemen  always  work  their  ships  up  the  coast  of 
Greenland  between  the  fast  bay-ice  and  this  middle  or  pack-ice, 
when  making  for  the  north  water,  because  there  is  less  ice  there 
than  on  the  westerly  side  of  Batlin  Bay ;  then,  having  reached 
the  north  water,  and  crossed  to  the  west,  make  their  catch  of 
whales,  and  start  to  return  home  in  the  latter  j)art  of  August 
or  early  in  September,  so  as  to  avoid  being  caught  in  the  fall 
'pack,'  V  hich  at  that  time  of  the  year  is  canning  down.  There 
are  alwjys  two  packs:  one  in  the  spring,  cau.sed  by  the  early 
breaking  ice,  and  the  other  in  th<;  full,  caused  by  the  breaking 
up  of  lh«?  ice.  which  ha«  rt'<piired  the  accumulated  heat  of  the 
whole  Arctic  8umm<'r  to  »Uiri  it  from  iIm-  sounds,  fiords,  and  in- 
l«'t.-.  which  are  leas  inllucnced  bjf  the  warmer  uuder-current»  of 
tiie  ojM-n  t«y. 

*^Bnt  tr>  return  U)  our  vnft^.  W«  fn(  flg^ted  the  land  at 
n  -•  uUtrji,  a  settiemint  in  the MMid^i  ofOn-i-uland.  The  land 
in  Uiat  VKrinitv,  and,  an  I  afterwaftl  dmsitvrrtid.  n«»rlv  the  whole 
QCMMt,  M  ktiih  and  nK)Qnt«tn«NW,  |i  will  ting  a  numt  lUmAatm  a^ 
If  I  )»A  not  knovn  tiwp  het,  I  mrnld  mmmlf  kmm 
■t  it  aartiin«^i  any  inii«iHtj»tK.  B«t  «•  wmm  ImhI  m^ 
<«f  tliM :  Air.  puinf  iIm  akif  M  tl«  iee,  «e 
itnmed^plv  *hHH^'  mA  verjr  ■iwitly  iAvs  mam 
htr«#tlMW  Iwiffiiy  mm  •4'  thm  Hortli  ««•  mmm  mmLa§  dv«r  d» 
t»  M»  ptf  «•  A  VIM '.  ami  diMT  irat 
r  mnli  mmm  mm  m  mafmamd  hf  amivp  Ami  ^r 
Ofmmm  t  hmi  ifcrayv  hmt4  at  Hm  mmB 

^m    VBv    mHIBVMHHHmK*  XBHp   HWPBWpWI   Jl    W^tK^^    HHHr  H^Mv    alBI^V    v^^MH^V  i 

<tf&M^M  ^^t^A     ^M^mA  ^I^Mlk  ^Hitf^^^^flMlfe    MHfMt   Al^tfMIWk  '^AftAflft   4&MMiL— — JB    MHHIlMlMIIMI^B  4HMIk 
WKfW  wSm9titf  mPMv  w**"^"    iPwwHH^^w  *!***  SmPiW^  wBHBBB  ^^^W^"-'-'"'  "•  mESHRRB^BI  «WBr 

^ai   fVMP  M   %  Hhi'W  MMI  iEMMI   HM  4m^  VMHMMt  INMMjjJ^     v-- 


;|i  |!|n  iii'^ 

il 

I:': 

1 

if 
lii 

:  ij!!:ii  III 

i 

'■  !      ';  t: 

M  '^,-i' 

i'ldi 

1,        1 

i' 
■  \\ 
't  i 

i;! 

i          r  ■ 

1,    .1 

1'  '  i    \\'\ 

|1     '           ' 

!i 

■  ! 

, 

■ii  , 

¥^'m 

i 

1 

\'V 

■  :i.' 

m 

I  '■■,       T  ■ 
ill 

-ff 

My 

i 

THE  "DEVIL'S  THUMB."  83 

were  dressed  in  seal-skins,  with  round  seal-skin  caps  on  their 
heads  —  and,  when  laid  horizontal  on  the  ice,  about  the  length 
of  the  smaller  kind  of  seals — I  could  not  help  thinking  but 
that  God  had  made  them  thus,  with  their  brown  faces,  so  that 
they  could  imitate  the  creatures,  and  so  decoy  and  catch  them, 
which  they  often  do.  llolsteinborg,  I  afterward  found,  consist- 
ed of  about  a  dozen  huts,  or  houses,  and  less  than  tifty  inhabit- 
ants. 

''The  ice  did  not  detain  us  long  here.  It  soon  opened, and  we 
proceeded  northward  to  Di.sco,  where  we  were  again  su^pped  by 
the  ice.  Disco  is  a  regular  rendezvous  of  the  English  whaling- 
fleet,  as  well  a-s  being  frequently  visited  by  the  American  whalers. 
It  is  on  an  i.sland,  and  is  a  larger  settlement  than  Ilol.steinborg: 
the  place  of  the  anchorage  is  called  Goodhavn.  There  are  over 
twenty  hotises  here,  and.  I  was  told,  .seventy  or  eighty  |)COple. 
I  have  since  ascertained  that  the  Danes  who  come  out  here  in 
the  governor's  suite,  and  others  who  visit  the  country  for  com- 
iiHfrcial  purposes,  and  atop  any  length  of  time — e8j>ecially  thow 
who  intf.'nd  to  make  it  their  home — not  infre<|ijently  marry  na 
tive  women :  m  that  at  some  of  tbe  mtdementM  you  may  nee  a 
family  where  the  chiklMtii  b«ve  tbe  light,  flaxen  hair  of  the  Dane, 
and  the  dark,  bronzed  eheek  of  tbe  mUive.  Thm  mixtan*  mainv 
»  mntMm  yiiywfnomy. 

**'n»  \^^mA  point  to  which  we  Muled  on  rov  6m.  royage  wm 
mBmA  tkm '  Devil'a  flMWib.  in  Mel vi  1  le  Iky.  ThM  '  Thumb '  m  a 
\mw  ptMBied  rodt  like  an  nnmewm  Bunker  lliU  Monumfnt,  tiMt 
nmt  pwpsMimiMijf  to  ISA  iMiiipit-  of  s#e  or  mx  iHMMBira  fbet; 
md  m  n  fMiii  os  m  mef  bif|k  Kikf  wkmi,  m  inymm  pmm 
m  pmlkMf  mtm  or  mmm  hnimi  tm  tkmm  ^  levtl  of 
^  nk    fliM»l»«  ffvat  ^fH  of  ■niimiaim  aHmm  ^mUmtV^ 

the  4igi«iif  ^  nwfiwj  mumg  tlw mkmrnt  irtaefc  tknmfA 

Imm,  mm  ik»  xremrmwrnm  vimtk  mmH  A»  iMffp  dbnat.  mA  «i 


84 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


WHALES  AND  THEIR  HAUNTS.  35 

Captain  Quayle  supplied  them  with  potatoes,  and  whatever  else 
he  could  8pare.     I)e  Haven  returned  home  that  fall. 

"After  parting  with  the  explorers,  we  took  the  ice  oft"  Disco 
about  lat.  69°  14'  N.,  long.  53°  30'  W.,  and  endeavored  to  get 
west  bv  taking  advantage  of  every  opening  in  the  ice,  and  soon 
after  sighted  the  west  coast  of  Davis  Strait.  Then  a  thick  fog 
set  in  on  us.  At  this  time  we  were  surrounded  by  whales  ;  but 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  take  them  when  the  ice  is  loose  and 
broken,  on  account  of  their  runtiing  under  the  large  heavy  floes 
to  escape,  taking  the  line  with  them.  But  we  tried  our  luck, 
and  fortunately  captured  two. 

''There  are  .several  .»*pecies  of  whales:  but  those  most  sought 
within  the  Polar  Circle  arc  usually  either  ♦he  'right  whale'  or 
the  'white  whale:'  the  former  is  much  larger  than  tin;  latter. 
There  is  also  the  *bow-hea«l'  whale,  and  'sulphur-bottoma'  All 
the  large  whales  of  this  region  are  '  balieeiierM :'  that  i».  the  mouth 
and  upper  jaw  are  furnished  with  th^'  balleen,  or  whaleljone,  of 
fv>fnm<*rce.  When  a  whale  i.»*  fai«Uned  to  the  ship,  and  the  cat 
ting  and  wtripprng  of  the  binblx  i  -  i"-v.<j  on.  the  head  w  u.Hiially 
firi«t  j«evereti  from  the  UkIv  lor  eonvi-ni. -nee  in  gettuig  at  the  \ml- 
l«^n  :  but  a  bfwil  c'//<  « filer  til.'  rfir.n'l,  r,rfl.<.  Atia!<-.  and.  if  necnh 
mry.mrend  men  etwiUI  at  t,  .pright  ami  be  at 

Wf>rk.  renH»vtt^  tlw  whah'brm^  frr»tn  the  upftpr  jaw.  the  bea<i  of 
tbe  vkait  hmm§  ahnnt  one  thmi  ot  the  balk  tA  tiw  ereature.  Tbi- 
»liati«  Hiiiiifr'  tlwar  '  tlr.    When  thry  an?  too  eiaw> 

ifkikmrniv  umHimk/  In  WW,  mi 

a  !inli*  kii.*r. « t..,r^  P  v  mmI  ak*^  dM  wtm 

*mmf4Unrnimi4:  :..  ...^  ..-  ^-...ij-.^.  uAUmwA, ikmf  ■!§»■ 

t«4  to  Umimm  Bar    n*^  wbra  tlirjr  •«•«  fit4lo«M  tlwiii  Hh^  Im^ 

%BaiP  m  ilMMilfwi?    i  wmmmktw  thm  htmn^  mki 

mi^v  ^pM»^  ^m  •^w^Ki  ^^rimshi  hrhhmi  ^wbbiw  ^^  wp^sh^  bhw* 
Mil  fhmAmm  Wmmmt  m  km  ■  <l««iptfiMr  «i  Am  ' 


1^  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

in  both  directions ;  for  not  many  years  after  they  were  reported 
plenty  in  Behring  Strait  they  were  back  again  to  the  north-w  st 
part  of  Hudson  Bay  and  Davis  Strait,  But  certain  it  is,  that  no 
whale  has  ever  been  found  on  this  side  of  the  continent  bearing 
any  evidence  that  it  had  traveled  from  the  Pacific.  I  think  the 
scarcity  and  plenty,  and,  within  certain  limits,  the  changing  of 
their  haunts,  is  explained  by  the  foct  that  when  they  become  un- 
profitably  scarce  in  one  location  the  whalers  go  to  another ;  and 
thus  give  them,  for  two  or  three  seasons,  a  chance  to  breed  again. 

"  The  right  whale  is  often  fifty  or  sixty  feet  long,  but  the  white 
whale  does  not  average  more  than  fifteen — from  twelve  to  twen- 
ty. The  blubber  produces  a  very  superior  kind  of  oil,  and  its 
texture  is  more  gelatinous  and  less  gross  than  that  of  the  larger 
whales.  In  the  water  this  fish  is  a  brilliant,  shiny  white.  A  com- 
mon harpoon  is  scarcely  fit  for  this  fish,  for  it  is  necessary  to  pen- 
etrate through  the  blubber  to  the  flesh  to  have  it  hold.  The  Es- 
quimaux consider  the  flesh  of  the  white  whale  excellent  eating, 

"I  once  had,  when  I  was  boat-steerer,  quite  an  adventure  with 
a  whale  which  was  determined  not  to  die.  It  was  a  large  and 
valuable  balleener.  Soon  after  the  boat  was  lowered  we  got 
alongside.  As  I  rose  to  heave  the  harpoon,  it  seemed,  almost  in 
an  instant,  that  the  whale  had  plunged  down  to  the  bottom  of  the 
bay ;  as  the  rope  uncoiled  and  went  over  the  gunwale  it  fairly 
smoked  with  the  intense  rapidity  of  the  friction,  and  I  had  to  or- 
der it  'doused'  to  prevent  its  taking  fire.  It  came,  too,  within  a 
hair-breadth  of  capsizing  us.  Fortunately  the  line  was  over  sev- 
enty fathoms  long,  and  of  the  strongest  kind.  After  she  plunged 
we  followed  on,  it  taking  all  our  strength  to  bring  the  boat  near 
enough  to  her  to  keep  the  line  slack.  She  staid  under  water 
the  first  time  so  long  that  we  thought  she  was  dead  and  sunk. 
It  was  nearly  an  hour  before  she  rose ;  and  when  she  did,  the 
jerk  almost  snapped  Ovir  strong  line,  already  weakened  by  the 
friction  and  unusual  tension, 

"  As  soon  as  she  appeared  she  began  to  beat  t'  water  with 
her  flukes,  and  swirled  around  so  that  it  appeared  .;  possible  to 
get  a  lance  in  her;  and,  while  I  was  endeavormg  to  do  this,  our 
line  parted,  and  away  she  went,  carrying  the  harpoon  '  tb  jer. 
We  followed  with  all  the  speed  we  coald  force,  and  al  iasit,  after 
several  hours'  hard  pull,  came  up  with  her.  She  seemed  to  know 
we  were  following,  and  several  times  disappeared,  and  then  com- 


PROLONGED  STRUGGLE  WITH  A  WHALE.  87 

ing  up  to  blow,  perhaps  half  a  mile  off;  but  we  were  bound  to  have 
her.  On  and  on  she  went,  on  and  on  we  followed.  The  moon 
was  shining,  and  the  Arctic  summer  night  was  almost  as  light  as 
day,  and  deep  into  the  night  we  followed  her.  Down  she  went, 
for  the  sixth  or  seventh  time,  but  fatigue  was  getting  the  better 
of  her.  She  was  weakening,  while,  with  all  the  fatigue,  our  spir- 
its and  strength  too  were  kept  up  by  the  excitement.  At  last, 
when  we  had  been  nearly  twenty-four  hours  on  the  chase,  I  got 
another  harpoon  in  her.  This  seemed  to  madden  her  afresh. 
Another  plunge,  which  had  nearly  carried  us  with  her ;  but  this 
tiiae  she  did  not  stay  down  more  than  ten  or  twelve  minutes. 
Up  she  came  once  more,  the  water  all  around  covered  with  blood, 
and  we  knew  she  was  done  for.  Three  or  four  lances  were  hurled 
into  her  ponderous  bulk,  and  at  last  our  exertions  were  rewarded 
by  seeing  her  roll  over  on  her  side.  She  was  dead.  We  bent 
on  another  strong  line,  and  soon  towed  her  to  a  floe.  But  we 
found  ourselves,  with  our  prize,  a  good  nine  miles  from  the  ship. 
We  could  not,  therefore,  save  the  blubber,  but  we  made  a  good 
haul  of  balleen,  with  which  we  loaded  our  boat  to  its  utmost  ca- 
pacity, and  then  dragged  her,  with  her  heavy  cargo,  the  whole 
distance  over  the  ice  to  the  ship,  which  is  what  I  call  a  fair  day's 
work. 

"  Sailors  have  a  rough  life  of  it,  but  they  often  contrive  to 
amuse  themselves  in  circumstances  which  most  landsmen  would 
consider  very  miserable.  Often  when  the  ice  was  too  thick  to 
bore  through  with  the  vessel,  and  we  had  to  lie  to,  awaiting  a 
break  up  of  the  ice,  there  would  be  discovered  openings  here  and 
there,  around  which  would  be  gathered  flocks  of  aquatic  or  semi- 
aquatic  birds.  On  the  small  islands,  and  inshore  about  the  base 
of  the  rocks,  they  chiefly  congregated.  There  were  the  eider- 
ducks,  the  little  dovekiea,  the  beautiful  ivory  gulls,  and  the  vora- 
cious, thieving,  burgomaster  gull? — so  named  by  the  Danish  set- 
tlers, which  appears  to  be  a  reflection  upon  the  unamiable  traits 
of  their  oppressive  burgomasters  at  home. 

"  The  la3t-named  birds  the  sailors  are  always  fond  of  tricking, 
because  they  get  so  much  of  their  living  by  snatching  food  from 
other  birds,  sometimes  even  out  of  their  very  mouths,  and  they 
also  steal  the  eider-ducks-eggs.  But  there  is  another  bird  equal- 
ly or  more  voracious 

"One  day  I  saw  a  messu..  '^  fixing  a  lot  of  strings  about  six 


88 


ARCTIC  KXrERIKNCES. 


feet  long,  to  the  ends  of  which  he  affixed  a  bait  of  seal  blubber : 
then,  tying  all  the  strings  together  at  the  other  end,  and  also 
across  the  middle,  he  flung  the  baited  ends  overboard.  Presently 
a  lot  of  mollimokes  espied  the  food,  and  one  and  another  seized 
a  morsel,  when,  suddenly,  jerk  went  Jack's  arm,  and  out  flew  the 
blubber  from  the  beaks  of  the  '  mollis.'  Over  and  over  they  tried 
it,  until  at  last,  bafiled  and  disgusted,  away  they  flew.  But  to 
return  to  our  voyage. 

"The  fog  clearing,  we  pressed   our  way  along  through  the 


BIVEB-UUOKS. 


broken  ice  till  we  got  near  shore,  where  we  found  clear  water, 
and  went  into  harbor,  some  sixty  miles  north  of  Cape  Walsing- 
ham ;  but  after  a  few  days,  finding  no  whales,  we  steered  for  the 
cape,  where  we  found  most  of  the  English  and  Scotch  whaling- 
ships.  Here  we  were  also  unfortunate,  and  soon  left  for  Cumber- 
land Gulf,  in  the  latitude  of  Cape  Mercy,  being  at  the  north  side 
of  the  gulf,  64°  45'  N.,  long.  64°  30'  W. 

''  It  was  in  the  early  part  of  September,  1850,  when  the  M^Ckl- 


WINTERING  AMHORE.  89 

Ian  arrived  in  Cumberland  Gulf,  and  there  had  never  been  but 
a  few  ships  in  those  waters,  except  Captain  Penny  a  short  t'nrie 
before,  and  some  few  Scotch  and  English  whalemen.  But  little 
was  known  of  the  gulf  at  that  period. 

"Captain  Quayle,  hearing  from  the  Esquimaux  that  early  in 
the  spring,  before  the  ships  were  able  to  get  in  the  bay,  there 
were  plenty  of  whales  there,  called  for  volunteers  to  go  ashore 
and  stop  through  the  winter,  concluding  that  the  vessel  should 
now  go  home  and  return  for  the  shore  party  when  they  came  up 
again  next  year.  Twelve  men  volunteered,  of  whom  I  was  one. 
We  took  our  traps  out  of  the  APCldlan,  went  ashore,  and  pre- 
empted a  section  of  land  whereon  to  build  a  hut  or  house.  The 
captain  gave  us  what  provisions  he  could  spare ;  but  it  was  not 
much,  for  the  vessel  had  only  been  provisioned  for  the  usual 
trip,  and  the  owners  had  not  anticipated  that  twelve  men  would 
require  food  for  eight  or  ten  months  longer  than  was  customary. 
There  was  very  little  lumber  either  that  we  could  get  from  the 
ship,  so  we  built  the  house  of  stones,  filling  the  crevices  with 
earth  and  moss,  and  making  the  roof  by  laying  poles  across  and 
covering  these  with  canvas;  inside  we  built  berths,  or  bunks. 
Before  winter  was  over  we  got  very  short  of  food,  and  could  not 
have  survived  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  game  we  shot  and  the 
seals  we  caught.  We  had  to  learn  the  Esquimaux  ways  of  eat- 
ing and  cooking,  and  before  spring  I  was  pretty  well  acclimated ; 
and  though  the  life  was  so  rough  and  so  different  to  what  I  had 
been  accustomed  to,  having  lived  all  my  previous  life  in  New 
York  city,  yet  my  health  was  good ;  in  fact,  the  whole  party 
kept  well. 

"We  had  not  many  opportunities  of  making  pets  of  any  thing 
out  there;  the  dogs  were  too  fierce,  and  small  animals  of  any  kind 
were  scarce ;  but  one  day  I  saw  a  young  seal ;  it  looked  so  pretty, 
with  its  pure  white  coat  (the  young  of  the  Greenland  seal  is  en- 
tirely white)  and  bright  hazel  eyes,  that  I  took  it  up  in  my  arms 
like  a  baby,  and  carried  it  along,  talking  and  whistling  to  it  by 
the  way.  The  little  creature  looked  at  me,  turning  its  head 
round  to  look  up  in  my  face  without  any  apparent  alarm,  and 
seemingly  soliciting  me  to  give  it  something  to  eat.  I  thought 
I  should  take  a  great  deal  of  comfort  with  my  little  pet,  for  I  had 
not  then  got  accustomed  to  seeing  the  young  ones  killed,  much 
less  eating  them  myself. 


90  ARCTIC  EXrEKIKNCES. 

"Arrived  at  our  house,  I  carefully  deposited  it  outside  in  a 
suitable  place  and  went  inside  to  get  my  supper,  hurrying  through 
my  meal  to  get  out  and  look  after  my  treasure.  I  looked  around, 
but  it  was  not  where  I  had  left  it.  1  began  to  suspect  mischief^ 
and,  sure  enough,  there  it  was,  a  little  way  off,  dead,  with  its  back 
broken  by  the  heavy  heel  of  a  whaler's  boot ;  one  of  the  men, 
with  a  malignancy  impossible  for  me  to  understand,  had  pressed 
the  life  out  of  my  only  pet  simply  to  gratify  a  brutal  nature. 
Had  I  been  quite  sure  who  was  the  perpetrator,  my  indignation 
would  have  found  other  vent,  I  suspect,  than  words. 

"In  the  spring  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we 
had  not  wintered  there  in  vain,  as  we  killed  seventeen  whales; 
and,  had  we  been  more  experenced,  we  could  have  captured 
many  more;  but  this  was  the  first  season  that  any  whalemen 
had  passed  the  winter  in  that  region,  and  we  had  every  thing  to 
learn. 

"As  summer  approached,  we  began  to  look  anxiously  for  our 
ship.  All  our  original  stock  of  provisions  had  been  long  con- 
sumed, and  we  had  to  hunt  hard  to  get  enough  to  eat;  and  I 
scarcely  believe  we  should  have  succeeded  in  securing  enough  to 
sustain  so  large  a  party  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  help  of  the 
friendly  Esquimaux. 

"While  we  were  busy  whaling  in  the  spring,  and  before  we 
had  learned  to  eat  whale-meat — for  whalemen  only  strip  off  the 
blubber,  and  abandon  the  carcass  (having  also  taken  the  valuable 
portions  of  the  bone)  —  the  natives  would  seize  upon  the  latter 
and  strip  off  all  the  meat.  What  they  could  not  eat  they  put  in 
.seal-skin  'drugs,'  or  bags,  and  these  they  stowed  away  for  future 
use,  hiding  the  bags  by  covering  them  up  on  the  various  islands 
in  the  gulf  or  inlet.  Subsequently,  in  our  hunting  excursions,  we 
often  came  across  these  'drugs;'  and  if  our  chase  had  been  unsuc- 
cessful, and  ourselves  very  hungry,  as  was  frequently  the  case, 
we  helped  ourselves  to  these  reservoirs  of  old  whale-meat;  and  as 
much  of  it  had  been  lying  under  the  stones  for  several  months, 
it  was  not  particularly  savory ;  but  we  were  often  very  glad,  in- 
deed, to  gel  it. 

"  it  was  not  until  the  month  of  September — a  whole  year  hav- 
ing passed — that  we  were  rejoiced  by  the  sight  of  a  vessel.  On 
boarding  her,  we  found  that  she  belonged  to  Hull,  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  and  was  named  the  True  Love;  her  captain's  name  was 


RELIEVED  BY  THE  TRUE  LOVE.  91 

Parker.  She  had  formerly  been  a  privateer  in  the  American  war 
of  the  Revolution,  and  was  at  the  time  I  speak  of  about  nineUj 
fjears  old;  and  the  good  old  bark  was  still  afloat  but  a  few  years 
ago,  and  Captain  Parker  was  still  in  her  as  late  as  1860,  and  is 
nearly  as  old  as  the  vessel.  She  has  since  been  lost.  The  fact 
is,  no  vessel  will  last  so  long  as  a  whaler,  unless  accident  destroys 
her;  for  once  get  a  ship  soaked  with  whale-oil,  and  it  is  impos- 
sible for  her  to  rot. 

"On  board  of  her  we  were  surprised  to  find  our  old  captain, 
Quayle.  He  had  lost  the  M^Clellan  in  Melville  Bay;  and  having 
put  his  crew  on  board  of  different  whaling-ships,  and  sent  them 
home,  via  England,  he,  with  his  boat's  crew,  was  taken  up  by  the 
True  Love,  Captain  Parker  kindly  consenting  to  come  round  and 
pick  us  up  too ;  and  right  glad  we  were  to  get  a  good  keel  under 
us  again,  and  some  civilized  food  to  eat.  But  still  we  could  not 
get  home.  The  True  Love  was  bound  for  Hull,  and  on  the  4th 
of  October  sailed  for  England.  Nothing  worthy  of  special  notice 
occurred  on  the  V03  age  until  we  reached  the  Scottish  coast,  where 
we  encountered  a  terrific  gale,  which  the  good  old  Trne  Love 
weathered;  but  another  whaler  which  was  in  our  company  went 
ashore  and  was  lost.  Being  anxious  to  get  home,  I  went  to  Liv- 
erpool, and  sailed  from  thence  in  December,  in  the  Cnarles  Holmes, 
Captain  Crocker,  an  American  vessel  bound  for  New  York. 

"  When  forty  days  out,  we  experienced  a  heavy  gale  from  the 
north-west ;  we  were  still  to  the  eastward  of  the  Banks  of  New- 
foundland. Having  had  nothiiig  but  westerly  gales  the  whole 
passage,  and  our  vessel  having  lost  nearly  all  her  sails,  and,  though 
a  new  ship,  having  made  considerable  water,  and  there  being 
nearly  three  hundred  passengers  on  board,  some  sick,  some  dy- 
ing, and  all  in  a  most  wretched  condition,  the  captain  finally  con- 
cluded to  turn  back;  and  though  we  had  been  forty  days  beat- 
ing to  the  east  of  the  Banks,  the  strong  westerly  gales  carried  us 
back  in  eight  days  to  QuefiiStown,  where  the  vessel  put  in  for 
repairs.  I  staid  by  her  unti  dhe  was  ready  for  sea  again,  which 
was  not  until  March,  and  once  more  set  sail  for  home,  where  I 
arrived  in  the  ensuing  April. 

"Having  had  such  a  hard  experience,  and  my  friends  strongly 
urging  the  point,  I  concluded  to  give  up  going  to  sea,  and  re- 
turned to  my  old  business  in  the  manufacture  of  iron-ware,  but 
very  soon  grew  tired  of  it,  and  again  longed  for  the  sea.    It  has 


92  ARCTIC  EXl'ERIENCES. 

its  hanlships,  but  it  has  its  compensations  too:  at  least  I  was  sure 
that  I  could  never  spend  my  life  in  the  stifling  atmosphere  of  an 
iron-factory ;  and  so,  in  the  spring  of  1855,  I  went  again  to  New 
London,  and  shipped  as  '  boat-steerer '  in  the  bark  George  Henry, 
Captain  James  Buddington  (uncle  of  Captain  S.  O.  Buddington, 
sailing-master  of  the  Polaris). 

On  arriving  once  more  on  the  scene  of  my  old  adventures  off 
the  entrance  to  Cumberland  Gulf,  where  we  were  bound,  we  en- 
countered an  extraordinary  heavy  pack  of  ice.  It  extended  over 
a  hundred  miles  to  the  eastward,  and  it  was  impossible  to  get  into 
the  gulf  while  this  pack  remained  along  the  coast.  So,  to  pass 
away  the  time  until  the  ice  cleared  away,  we  sailed  for  Disco 
Bay,  where  we  were  pretty  sure  to  find  the  '  humpback '  whale, 
which  we  did,  making  a  good  catch.  In  August  we  sailed  again 
for  Cumberland  Gulf,  expecting,  of  course,  by  that  time,  that  the 
pack  would  be  gone;  but,  to  our  surprise,  it  was  still  there. 
Never  in  all  my  experience  have  I  seen  any  thing  equal  to  it; 
but,  forbidding  as  it  was,  we  must  'take  it'  to  get  into  the  gulf, 
though  it  was  so  compact  and  heavy  that  the  July  and  August 
suns  seemed  to  have  made  no  impression  upon  it.  But  '  nothing 
venture,  nothing  have.'  We  took  the  ice  off  Cape  Walsingham: 
and  on  penetrating  the  pack  about  forty  miles,  it  closed  on  us, 
and  we  were  regularly  'beset,'  our  drift  being  to  the  southward. 

"  In  the  latter  part  of  August  I  sighted  a  vessel,  which  at  first 
we  all  supposed  to  be  a  whaler,  as  we  knew  there  were  several 
trying  to  get  in  the  gulf.  This  vessel  remained  in  sight  several 
days.  At  times  we  imagined  she  had  all  sail  on,  and  was  work- 
ing through  the  ice.  No  one  for  a  moment  thought  that  she  was 
an  abandoned  vessel,  but  there  was  something  about  her  which 
aroused  my  curiosity ;  I  seemed  to  feel  that  there  would  be  a  story 
to  tell  if  I  could  only  get  at  her;  and  when  she  had  been  in  sight 
about  two  weeks  I  asked  the  captain  for  leave  to  go  over,  with 
two  or  three  companions,  to  see  what  she  was  made  of.  He  ob- 
jected at  first ;  thought  '  we  should  never  get  there '  (she  was 
about  ten  or  twelve  miles  off>;  and  if  we  succeeded  in  reaching 
her  he  was  sure  '  we  would  never  get  back ;'  but  I  was  deter- 
mined, and  so  at  last,  in  company  with  the  mate,  John  Quayle, 
the  second  mate,  Norris  Havens,  and  Mr.  Tallinghast,  a  boat- 
steerer  like  myself,  we  started  off  for  the  phantom  ship, 

"  It  was  eariy  morning  when  we  left  the  George  Henry^  for  we 


BOARDING  THE  RESOLUTE.  ^ 

knew  we  bad  at  least  ten,  and  perhaps  more,  miles  to  walk.  The 
task  we  had  set  ourselves  was  no  light  one ;  the  pack  was  very 
rough,  and  every  little  while  we  came  to  patches  of  open  water; 
and  as  we  had  no  boat  with  us,  we  were  obliged  to  extemporize 
a  substitute  by  getting  on  small  pieces  of  ice  and  making  pad- 
dles of  smaller  pieces;  and  thus  we  ferried  ourselves  across  these 
troublesome  lakes  and  rivers.  We  were  all  day  on  our  journey, 
it  being  nearly  night  when  we  reached  the  stranger.  As  we 
approached  within  sight  we  looked  in  vain  for  any  signs  of 
life.  Could  it  be  that  all  on  board  were  sick  or  dead?  What 
could  it  mean  ?  Surely,  if  there  were  any  living  soul  on  board, 
a  party  of  four  men  traveling  toward  her  across  that  hurnmocky 
ice  would  naturally  excite  their  curiosity.  But  no  one  appeared. 
As  we  got  nearer  we  saw,  by  indubitable  signs,  that  she  was 
abandoi.  d. 

"  '  Toward  the  shape  our  steps  are  bending, 
Northward  turns  our  eager  gaze, 
Wliere  a  stately  ship  appearing, 
Slowly  cleaves  the  misty  haze. 
Southward  floats  the  apparition  ; 

"Is  it,  can  it  be  the  same?" 
Frantic  cries  of  recognition 

Shout  a  long,  lost  vessel's  name  I' 

By  this  time  Mr.  Quayle  was  so  tired  that  I  had  to  assist  him 
in  boarding  the  ship,  myself  and  the  other  two  following.  We 
found  the  cabin  locked  and  sealed ;  but  locks  and  seals  did  not 
stand  long.  A  whaler's  boot  vigorously  applied  to  a  door  is  a 
very  effective  key.  We  were  soon  in  the  cabin.  This  was  no 
whaler,  that  was  plain ;  neither  was  she  an  American  vessel,  it 
was  soon  discovered.  English,  no  doubt  of  that.  Every  thing 
presented  a  mouldy  appearance.  The  decanters  of  wine,  with 
which  the  late  officers  had  last  regaled  themselves,  were  still  sit- 
ting on  the  table,  some  of  the  wine  still  remaining  in  the  glasses, 
and  in  the  rack  around  the  mizen-mast  were  a  number  of  other 
glasses  and  decanters.  It  was  a  strange  scene  to  come  upon  in 
that  desolate  place.  Some  of  my  companions  appeared  to  feel 
somewhat  superstitious,  and  hesitated  to  drink  the  wine,  but  my 
long  and  fatiguing  walk  made  it  very  acceptable  to  me,  and  hav- 
ing helped  myself  to  a  glass,  and  they  seeing  it  did  not  kill  me, 
an  expression  of  intense  relief  came  over  their  countenances,  and 
they  all,  with  one  accord,  went  for  that  wine  with  a  will;  and 


94 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


there  and  then  we  all  drank  a  bumper  to  the  late  officers  and 
crew  o(  the  Besohite. 

"It  was  now  too  dark  to  attempt  to  travel  back  that  night 
over  the  broken  ice,  and  we  prepared  to  stay  where  we  were. 
Possibly  the  wine  we  had  taken,  being  at  that  time  unused  to  it, 
partly  influenced  us  to  this  conclusion;  but  sleep  in  the  vessel 
we  did. 

"  In  the  morning  we  found  it  snowing,  and  blowing  very  heavy 


"EVEBY    TUIMU   FBE8EMTKD   A   llOVLUM   Al'I'EAKANCE." 


from  the  south-east.  We  could  not  hope  ever  to  find  our  way 
back  to  the  George  Henry  in  such  a  storm,  and  so,  having  made 
a  fire,  we  were  prepared  to  pass  the  time  as  comfortably  as  possi- 
ble. Among  other  things,  we  found  some  of  the  uniforms  of  the 
officers,  in  which  we  arrayed  ourselves,  buckling  on  the  swords, 
and  putting  on  their  cocked  hats,  treating  ourselves,  as  British 
officers,  to  a  little  more  wine.  Well,  we  had  what  sailors  call  a 
'good  time,'  getting  up  an  impromptu  sham  duel;  ajid  before 
those  swords  were  laid  aside  one  was  cut  in  twain,  and  the  others 


RETURN  TO  THE  SHIP.  95 

were  backed  and  beaten  to  pieces,  taking  care,  however,  not  to 
harm  our  precious  bodies,  though  we  did  some  hard  fighting — 
we,  or  the  wine  ! 

"The  storm  continued  for  three  days,  during  which  we  had 
ample  time  to  investigate  the  condition  and  inspect  the  contents 
of  the  good  ship  Rtsolute.  We  found  food  on  board,  and  were 
enjoying  ourselves  so  well  that  we  should  not  have  cared  if  it 
had  lasted  six.  But  the  weather  cleared  up,  and  ^  e  saw  that  the 
Oeorge  Henry  was  still  at  about  the  same  distance  from  us ;  so  we 
took  all  we  could  carry  on  our  backs,  and  started  to  return,  arriv- 
ing at  our  ship  all  safe,  though  some  of  us  got  a  good  ducking 
by  jumping  into  the  water  while  attempting  to  spring  from  one 
piece  of  ice  to  another.  Being  so  heavily  laden,  we  often  fell 
short  of  the  mark,  and  went  plump  into  the  water;  but  we  were 
in  such  good  spirits  that  these  little  mishaps,  instead  of  inciting 
condolence,  were  a  continual  cause  of  merriment 

'On  arriving  at  the  Georrje  Henry,  we  made  our  report  to  Cap- 
tain Buddington,  describing  oar  treasure-trove  in  glowing  terms. 
After  a  good  rest,  we  again  started  for  the  Resolute,  and  staid  sev- 
eral days  on  board.  At  this  time  the  two  vessels  were  nearing 
each  other — the  one  voluntarily,  the  other  drifting,  as  she  had 
already  done,  for  a  thousand  miles.  We  did  not  know  this  at 
the  time,  but  learned  afterward  that  the  Resolute  had  been  aban- 
doned, by  Sir  Edward  Belcher's  orders,  on  May  15,  1854,  near 
Dealy  Island,  and  had  drifted  all  the  way  to  Cape  Mercy. 

"At  last  the  two  vessels  were  only  about  four  miles  apart. 
We  were  still  having  a  nice  time,  when,  one  morning,  we  saw 
several  persons  coming  over  the  ice,  and,  to  our  discomfiture, 
they  proved  to  be  the  captain,  with  several  of  the  crew.  We 
very  soon  got  orders  to  return  on  board  the  Qeorye  Henry,  while, 
to  our  chagrin,  the  captain  took  possession  of  the  Resolute. 

"  We  had  now  drifted  as  far  south  as  Cumberland  Gulf,  Cape 
Mercy  bearing  west  about  twenty-five  miles  distant;  but  the  ice 
was  still  close  and  compact.  Had  we  now  caught  a  good  gale 
from  the  south-east,  we  were  just  in  the  right  position  to  have 
been  drifted  where  we  wished  to  get,  up  into  the  gulf  But  no; 
instead,  we  got  a  gale  from  the  north-west,  blowing  us  directly 
out  of  the  gulf,  and  away  we  drifted  past  it,  and  once  more  to 
the  south  of  it. 

"  There  was  no  Jiope  of  getting  back  while  the  pack-ice  lay 


96  ARCTIC  KXl'EKIENCES. 

along  the  coast;  and  our  only  hope  now  was  to  get  out  of  the 
pack  as  quickly  as  po.ssible,  and  return  home.  The  Resolute,  get- 
ting a  lead  through  the  ice,  got  out  on  the  14th  of  October,  but 
the  Oeorge  Uenry  was  still  fast,  and  drifting  slowly  southward; 
though  we  too  were  soon  to  be  released  from  the  pack,  but  such 
a  release  as  one  would  wish  to  see  but  once  in  a  lifetime. 

'On  the  25th  of  October  a  strong  gale  commenced  to  blow 
from  the  north-east,  and  continued  with  great  violence.  On  the 
26th  there  was  a  very  heavy  sea  running  under  the  ice;  all 
through  the  night,  and  to  the  morning  of  the  27th,  it  was  dark 
and  stormy,  with  danger  all  the  time  ol"  drifting  upon  great  ice- 
bergs. Many  heavy  spurs,  rough  and  jagged,  projected  from 
these  bergs,  cutting  fearfully  into  the  vessel,  and  finally  she 
pounded  her  keel  off,  tore  her  rudder,  and  injured  her  stern-post. 

*'  On  getting  clear  of  the  bay,  we  went  to  the  pumps,  and  found 
the  vessel  making  a  great  deal  of  water.  On  the  abatement  of 
the  gale,  we  repaired  our  rudder  as  best  we  could,  and  then  start- 
ed for  home,  short  of  men,  of  course,  as  more  than  half  of  the 
crew  was  with  Captain  Buddington,  on  board  of  the  Resolute. 
But  with  pumping  day  and  night  in  heavy  weather  we  could 
not  keep  the  vessel  free  of  water — it  would  gain  on  the  pumps 
hourly  ;  but.  when  the  weather  was  moderate  we  could  keep  her 
nearly  free.  After  a  most  laborious  passage,  we  made  out  to  keep 
her  afloat  until  we  reached  New  London,  in  forty  days  from  the 
start.  The  Resolute  did  not  arrive  until  some  time  after — her  pas- 
sage being  sixty  days, 

"I  next  went  as  second  mate,  in  1856,  with  Captaif.  James 
Buddington,  in  the  George  Henry,  having  the  Ameret,  a  top-sail 
schooner,  as  tender,  and  wintered  in  Cumberland  Gulf,  lat,  65°  25' 
N.,  long.  67°  W. ;  returned  in  August  of  1857,  and  sailed  again 
as  first  mate,  and  arrived  in  the  gulf  October  14;  and  this  season 
passed  another  winter  there,  returning  in  the  fall  of  1858. 

"I  bad  now  become  so  accustomed  to  the  northern  climate 
that  it  seemed  more  natural  to  me  than  a  more  southern  one. 
Sailed  again  in  the  spring  of  1859,  as  first  officer,  but  started  to 
return  home  in  November  of  the  same  year,  as  our  vessel  was 
dismasted  off  Cape  Charles,  and  we  got  into  St.  Johns,  New- 
foundland, where  we  repaired,  and  arrived  home  in  February. 

"In  the  spring  of  1860  sailed  as  master  of  the  brig  Oeorgiana. 
Previous  to  my  departure,  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  Captain 


•  MEETS  CAPTAIN  C.  F.  HALL.  97 

C.  F.  Hall.  He  was  then  writing  to  the  papers  and  lecturing 
through  the  country,  endeavoring  to  interest  and  stimulate  the 
public  on  the  subject  of  his  projected  expedition.  I  lent  him  the 
model  of  an  Esquimaux  kayack,  which  he  used  in  several  of  his 
lectures.  I  afterward  met  him  just  north  of  Frobisher  Bay.  I 
was  in  that  vicinity  at  the  time  he  lost  the  schooner  Rescue,  and 
at  that  time  I  came  near  losing  my  vessel,  as  reported  in  his  work 
in  'Arctic  Researches;'  but  though  she  was  beating  on  the  rocks, 
during  a  violent  storm,  for  twenty-four  hours,  myself  and  crew 
having  to  get  ashore  on  spars  to  save  our  lives,  I  finally  saved 
both  vessel  and  cargo.     Returned  home  in  the  fall  of  1861. 

"Sailed  again,  in  the  spring  of  1862,  in  the  bark  Orray  Toft, 
of  New  Bedford  ;  wintered  once  more  in  the  North,  and  returned 
home  in  the  fall  of  1863.  The  Orray  Tafl  was  wrecked  and  lost 
near  Marble  Island,  in  September,  1872,  while  I  was  in  the  Polaris 
at  Thank  God  Harbor;  and  a  sLct  time  after  the  Ansel  Gihbs,  a 
whaler  known  to  many  Arctic  explorers,  was  lost  at  the  same 
place.  The  men  had  to  winter  on  Marble  Island,  and  were  not 
rescued  till  August,  1873,  at  the  time  I  was  on  board  the  Tigress 
searching  for  Captain  Buddington.  Many  of  the  men  were  lost ; 
some  at  the  time  of  the  wreck,  and  fourteen  from  scurvy,  brought 
on  by  exposure  and  insufficient  and  improper  food. 

"Sailed  again,  in  the  spring  of  1864,  in  the  bark  Antelope,  of 
New  Bedford,  and  on  this  vovajre  staid  out  two  winters — one  in 
Hudson  Bay,  and  one  in  Cumberland  Gulf.  On  this  trip  I  took 
my  vessel  farther  north  than  any  of  the  whalers  had  been  before. 
I  sailed  right  ahead  into  Repulse  Bay,  and  took  the  first  tvhale 
there  that  teas  ever  caught  in  those  waters — the  whalers  having 
previous  to  that  limited  themselves  to  the  latitude  of  Wager  Riv- 
er. Since,  however,  they  have  freely  visited  Repulse  Bay.  This 
bay  probably  offers,  on  its  north  shore,  more  and  better  harbors 
than  any  place  within  the  whaling  regions ;  but  the  south  shore 
is  clean  and  level,  without  harbors ;  and  there  is  a  peculiarity 
about  this  locality  which  I  have  never  found  elsewhere  so  near 
the  Arctic  Circle,  and  that  is  the  frequency  of  thunder-storms, 
accompanied  by  vivid  lightning. 

While  I  was  in  winter-quarters  in  Hudson  Bay,  Captain  Hall 
visited  the  bark  Mbnticello,  which  had  brought  him  out,  and  also 
other  vessels  wintering  there,  including  the  Antelope.  1  then  had 
long  talks  with  him  about  getting  up  another  expedition  after  he 

7 


98  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

had  found  out  all  he  could  about  Sir  John  Franklin's  expedition, 
and  he  always  wound  up  by  saying  he  wanted  me  to  go  with 
him,  lie  was  badly  off  for  boats  at  that  time,  and  I  let  him  have 
one  of  mine.  The  Antelope  was  lost  in  a  severe  storm  in  the  year 
1865,  and  I  returned  to  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  in  the  steamer 
Wolf,  Captain  Skinner,  and  from  there  got  home. 

"  Sailed  again,  in  the  spring  of  1867,  in  the  top-sail  schooner 
Era,  on  which  voyage  the  schooner  broke  out  of  winter-quarters 
in  December,  and  drifted  out  to  sea.  We  had  two  vessels  in 
company  caught  in  the  same  drift;  one  was  abandoned,  the  other 
run  ashore.  The  Era,  finally  drifting  in  among  some  bergs,  was 
frozen  in  for  the  winter.  During  thia  voyage  I  met  Captain 
Hall  again.  He  was  living  with  the  Esquimaux;  in  'training,' 
as  the  sportsmen  would  say,  for  the  great  work  which  he  even 
then  had  in  mind.  I  supplied  him  with  provisions  of  various 
kinds,  and  he,  when  he  had  opportunity,  sent  the  natives  with 
fresh  meat  to  the  ships. 

"Sailed  again,  in  the  Era,  in  the  spring  of  1869,  returning  in 
the  fall  of  1870. 

"In  referring  to  my  old  log-books,  as  well  as  in  recalling  the 
events  themselves,  I  find  that  the  experiences  of  whaling  are  not 
essentially  different  from  those  of  the  Polar  exploring  parties — 
80  far,  I  mean,  as  the  exposures  and  dangers  are  concerned.  We 
were  in  continual  risk  of  getting  '  beset,'  and  often  were  closed 
in,  and  unable  to  move  for  days  or  weeks,  and  sometimes  com- 
pelled to  remain  and  winter,  being  unable  to  break  out  or  bore 
our  way  through.  The  olu  log-books  are  full  of  such  entries  as 
these : 

'•  'Schr.  Era,  July  17, 1867.  Beset  in  the  ice,  North  Bluff  bearing  E.N.E. 

"  ^July  18.  Laying  by ;  ice-anchor  out ;  all  sails  furled ;  no  water  in  sight. 

"  '  Ja/y  23.  Working  slowly  through  the  ice  to  the  westward. 

"  ^Sept.  At  anchor  at  Black-lead  Island. 

"  'Or^  2'.).  Bay  fall  of  drifting  ice. 

"  ^.Tuly  6,  1869.  All  hands  employed  breaking  out  vessel. 

"  ^July  27.  Working  in  the  pack,  Cape  Misery  bearing  N.N.E. 

"  ^July  29.  Beset ;  no  water  visible. 

"  ^Nov.  18.  At  winter-quarters  at  Niountelik  Harbor.  All  hands  employed  saw- 
ing ice;  eight  ships  in  company.  8  p.m.  ;  blowing  hard;  ice  commenced  to  break 
up.  Worked  all  night  to  try  and  save  the  vessel.  At  12,  midnight,  let  go  the  star- 
board anchor,  and  got  the  larboard  chain  ashore ;  thick  snow. 

"  ^Nov.  19.  Thick  snow;  one  anchor  down;  ice  all  broken  up;  expecting  to  go 
ashore.     If  wind  hauls  N.W.,  we  are  saved ;  otherwise  the  chance  is  small. 


WITH  THE  POLARIS  AS  ASSISTANT  NAVIGATOR.  99 

"  ^Dec.  8.  Ice  on  the  move,  and  forcing  the  schooner  inshore,  broadside  to, 
through  ice  nine  inches  thick, 

'•  ^ Dec,  9.  Drove  in  between  grounded  icebergs;  took  out  provisions;  took  ashore 
square-sail  and  mainsail  to  make  a  house.  Two  teams  of  dogs  from  Niountelik  help- 
ed haul  our  things ;  20^  below  zero.' 

"On  this  last  occasion  the  ship  remained  frozen  in  until  Feb- 
ruary, and  myself  and  the  crew  lived  ashore  in  the  house  or  hut 
we  had  built  with  stones  and  covered  with  the  sails  taken  from 
the  ship,  watching  anxiously  all  the  time  for  a  break  up,  which 
might  either  relieve  the  ship  or  crush  her  to  pieces.  I  could  not 
tell  what  would  happen ;  but,  fortunately,  in  February  the  ice 
began  to  break,  and  I  got  over  to  my  ship,  found  she  was  still 
sea- worthy,  repaired  damages,  got  our  provisions  and  other  arti- 
cles aboard  again,  and,  getting  a  lead  out,  finished  my  intended 
trip,  making,  after  all,  a  very  fair  voyage. 

"On  arriving  at  home,  New  London,  in  October,  1870,  Captain 
Hall  called  to  see  me.  lie  informed  me  that  he  had  succeeded  in 
getting  an  expedition  started  for  the  North  Pole,  and  wished  me 
to  go  with  him  in  the  capacity  of  sailing-master  and  ice-pilot; 
but  at  that  time  I  had  a  project  of  my  own  on  hand,  and  had 
opened  negotiations  with  a  party,  expecting  to  get  a  vessel  for 
the  white  whale-fishery,  and  I  so  stated  to  Captain  Hall.  lie  call- 
ed on  me  several  times  to  persuade  me  to  go,  but  I  felt  obliged 
to  decline,  having  commenced  negotiations  with  other  parties.  I 
then  heard  that  he  had  engaged  S.  O.  Buddington. 

"As  I  did  not  succeed  in  effecting  an  agreement  about  the 
whale-fishing  which  I  had  had  in  view,  I  concluded  to  remove, 
with  my  fiimily,  from  New  London  to  Brooklyn ;  and  shortly 
after,  the  Polaris  coming  to  the  Navy  Yard  there,  I  called  to  see 
Captain  Hall.  He  again  requested  me  to  join  the  expedition, 
making  me  many  promises:  at  that  time  all  the  positions  were 
filled ;  but  he  was  not  to  be  denied,  and  he  declared  he  would 
make  a  position  for  me,  for  go  I  must. 

"At  last  I  consented  to  go;  and  in  forty-eight  hours  from  the 
time  I  agreed  to  accompany  him,  I  had  made  all  my  arrange- 
ments, procured  my  outfit,  bade  farewell  to  friends,  and  was  on 
my  way  to  the  North  Pole.  The  rest  of  my  Arctic  experiences 
will  be  found  narrated  in  the  history  of  the  Polaris  expedition, 
the  ice-floe  voyage,  and  in  the  journal  of  my  trip  in  the  Tigress, 
in  search  of  Captain  Buddington  and  party." 


100  AKCTIC  EXI'ERIENXES. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   POLARIS   EXPEDITION. 

Tlie  North  Polar  Expedition  authorized  by  Congress. — Captain  Hall's  Commission. 
— The  Periwinkle,  afterward  Polaris,  selected. — Letter  of  Captain  Hall's. — De- 
scription of  the  Steamer  Polaris. — Liberal  Supplies. — A  patent  Canvas  Boat. — 
Books  presented  by  J.  (Larson  Brevoort.  — A  characteristic  Letter  of  Captain 
Hall's. — An  Invitation  to  visit  him  at  the  North  Pole. 

The  Polaris  expedition,  or,  in  official  language,  the  "United 
States  North  Polar  Expedition,"  which  sailed  from  the  Brooklyn 
Navy  Yard  on  Thursday  evening,  June  29,  1871,  was  under  the 
general  command  of  Commander  Charles  Francis  Hall,  whose 
previous  explorations  in  the  Arctic  and  high  northern  latitudes 
will  be  found  summarized  in  the  sketch  of  his  life,  to  be  found 
in  its  appropriate  place,  as  descriptive  of  the  chief  officer  of  the 
Polaris. 

On  the  8th  of  March,  1870,  Hon.  Mr.  Stevenson,  of  Ohio,  intro- 
duced into  the  House  of  Representatives  a  bill  authorizing  the 
President  to  appoint  Captain  Hall  to  the  command  of  an  ex- 
ploring expedition  to  the  Arctic  regions,  reciting  the  facts  of  his 
previous  successful  journeys,  experience,  and  acclimatization. 
An  identical  bill  was  introduced  into  the  Senate  by  the  Hon.  Mr. 
Sherman,  of  Ohio,  on  the  25th  of  March,  and  which,  after  being 
twice  read  b}''  its  title,  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Foreign 
Relations,  of  which  the  late  Hon.  Charles  Sumner,  of  Massachu- 
setts, was  chairman.  *,  . 

On  the  19th  of  April  Mr.  Sumner  reported  back  the  bill  with 
an  amendment  striking  out  all  personal  reference  to  Captain 
Hal],  and  substituting  the  phrase  "one  or  more  persons."  The 
bill,  as  amended,  finally  passed  both  Houses  of  Congress  on  the 
11th  of  July,  1870,  and  was  signed  by  the  President  on  the  12th. 
See  p.  101. 

On  the  20th  of  the  same  month  Captain  Hall  received  his 
commission  from  President  Grant,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
copy : 


CAPTAIN  HALL'S  COMMISSION. 


101 


Executive  Mansion,  Washington,  D.  C,  July  20, 1870. 
Captain  C.  F.  Hall  : 
Dkau  Sik, — You  are  hereby  appointed  to  command  the  expedition  toward  the 
North  Pole,  to  be  or^'anized  and  sent  out  pursuant  to  an  Act  of  Congress  approved 
•fuly  12,  1870,  and  will  report  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  and  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  for  detailed  instructions.  U.  S.  Gkaxt. 

By  a  section  of  this  Act  the  President  was  authorized  to  fit 
out  one  or  more  expeditions,  and  dispatch  them  toward  the  North 
Pole,  appointing  one  or  more  persons  to  the  command,  and  also 
to  detail  any  officer  in  the  public  service  to  take  part  in  it;  like- 
wise to  give  the  use  of  a  public  vessel  suitable  for  the  purpose 
{vide  Sec.  9  of  the  Act,  in  Appendix,  page  428). 


TUE  roLABia. 


The.  scientific  operations  connected  with  the  expedition  were 
to  be  directed  by  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences,  of  which 
the  well-known  and  widely  esteemed  Professor  J.  Henry  is  pres- 
ident.* 

Captain  Hall  was  allowed  to  inspect  a  number  of  United  States 
vessels,  and  it  was  at  his  desire  that  the  PeriwinkL,  to  which  the 
iiame  of  Polaris  was  subsequently  given,  was  selected. 

The  Polaris  was  partially  fitted  out  at  the  Washington  Navy 
Yard ;  but  it  being,  on  some  accounts,  more  convenient  for  her 


♦  See  Appendix,  p.  431, 


102  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

to  be  completed  at  Brooklyn,  she  left  Washington  on  the  10th 
of  June,  1870,  and  arrived  at  the  Navy  Yard,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y,, 
on  the  14th.  Here  she  received  the  last  alterations  deemed  nec- 
essary, completed  her  outHt,  received  her  stores,  and  shipped  her 
crew. 

While  lying  at  Brooklyn,  Captain  Ilall  addressed  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  : 

steamer  Polaris,  Navy  Yard,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  June  2.",  1S71. 
I  have  the  honor  to  apply  for  the  appointment  of  Captain  George  E.  Tyson,  navi- 
gator and  master  of  sledges  for  the  North  Polar  Expedition,  after  full  consultation 
with  Captain  Buddington  and  First  Mate  Chester,  who  agree  with  myself  that  the 
services  of  Captain  Tyson,  who  has  been  engaged  for  over  twenty  years  in  voyaging 
to  and  from  the  Arctic  seas,  would  be  of  great  value  to  the  expedition.  *  *  *  Cap- 
tain Tyson  is  well  known  to  me,  and  to  the  whaling-houses  of  New  Bedford  and  New 
London,  as  an  experienced,  trustworthy  navigator  and  dog-sledge  traveler  in  the 

Arctic  regions *    I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Yours,  respectfully,  C.  F.  Hall, 

Commanding  U.  S.  Surth  Polar  Expedition, 
Hon.  Geo.  M.  Roiiebon,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

The  Polaris  was  a  screw-propeller  of  only  three  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  tons ;  but,  in  addition  to  her  steam-power,  she  was 
fitted  with  the  rig  of  a  foretop-sail  schooner,  so  that,  as  circum- 
stances dictated,  she  could  be  propelled  by  steam  or  wind.  Did 
any  irreparable  accident  happen  to  her  machinery,  she  could  still 
make  fair  headway  under  canvas.  To  guard  against  accident  to 
the  propeller  by  contact  with  the  heavy  ice  it  was  known  she 
must  encounter,  the  .screw  was  so  arranged  that  it  could  be  un- 
shipped and  raised  to  the  deck  through  a  shaft  in  the  stern  ol 
the  vessel,  which,  as  will  be  narrated  hereafter,  was  done  on  the 
1st  of  September,  1871.  Extra  blades  were  also  provided,  with 
which  to  replace  the  originals,  should  they  be  broken.  Her  en- 
gine was  considered  exceptionally  good,  and  was  the  product  of 
Neafles  &  Levy's  establishment  in  Philadelphia.  For  its  size, 
it  was  a  powerful  worker;  and  space,  in  this  case,  was  a  prime 
consideration,  as  so  much  room  was  needed  for  coal  and  other 
stores. 

In  regard  to  her  boilers,  there  was  an  arrangement  unique  as 
to  United  States  vessels,  one  of  them  being  fitted  for  the  use  of 
whale  or  seal  oil  as  a  steam  generator;  and  this  was  expected 
not  only  to  be  used  for  the  general  purpose  of  propulsion,  but 

*  See  extract  of  letter  from  Captain  Edwin  W.  White,  in  Appendix,  p.  42.']. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  POLARIS.  103 

also  as  a  means  of  heating  the  vessel  when  in  winter-quarters. 
Thi;j  boiler,  as  will  be  subsequently  described,  was  willfully  de- 
stroyed just  after  leaving  Disco. 

The  hull  of  the  Polaris  was  specially  prepared  for  her  Arctic 
voyage  by  being  planked  all  over  with  solid  six-inch  white-oak 
timber,  the  bows  being  made  almost  solid,  and  then  sheathed 
with  iron  which  terminated  in  a  sharp  prow,  with  which  to  bore 
her  way  through  the  ice.  Another  peculiarity  was  a  new  style 
of  life-preserver,  in  the  shape  of  a  buoy,  to  be  kept  slung  over 
the  stern,  but  which  could,  when  occasion  required,  be  instantly 
detached  and  lowered  to  the  water  by  means  of  a  connecting 
spring  which  could  be  reached  from  the  pilot-house ;  and,  by  an- 
other spring  conveniently  placed,  an  electric  light,  kept  secured 
to  the  buoy,  and  rising  above  it  between  two  and  three  feet, 
could  be  instantly  lighted  by  means  of  a  galvanic  battery  in  the 
cabin. 

In  a  region  where  parties  are  subject  to  the  constant  liability 
of  being  separated  from  their  ship  by  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice, 
and  especially  during  the  dark  months  from  October  to  February, 
a  contrivance  of  this  kind  for  forming  a  beacon-light  to  those  sep- 
arated by  any  cause  from  the  ship,  might  well  be  termed  a  life- 
preserver;  and  that  it  was  not  called  into  -equisition  when  Cap- 
tain Tyson  and  party  were  separated  from  the  Pohris  on  the  ice- 
floe, shows  either  that  due  care  had  not  been  taken  of  the  appa- 
ratus, and  that  it  w.ns  unusable  from  neglect,  or  that  those  in  com- 
mand did  not  take  the  trouble  to  give  this  aid  to  their  imperiled 
companions. 

Extras  of  all  kinds  likely  to  be  needed  were  amply  supplied; 
every  sort  of  running  gear,  cordage  of  different  sizes,  spare  sails, 
spars,  and  even  an  extra  rudder.  She  also  carried  one  small 
howitzer. 

She  had  also  four  boats — similar  to  whale-boats — one  flat-bot- 
tomed scow,  and  a  patent  portable  folding  canvas  boat,  intended 
for  the  use  of  transglacial  parties.  This  boat  was  about  twenty 
feet  long,  four  feet  wide,  and  two  deep ;  and  though  it  weighed 
only  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  had  an  estimated  carrying 
capacity  of  four  tons,  and  was  expected,  in  case  of  necessity,  to 
carry  twenty  men,  though  five  or  six  would  be  her  complement 
on  a  surveying  trip. 

The  skeleton,  or  frame-work,  was  constructed  of  ash  and  hick- 


104  ARCTIC  EXl'ERIENCES. 

ory,  and  over  this  was  aiBxed  a  water-proof  canvas  cover,  some- 
thing on  the  principle  of  the  oomiaks,  or  seal -skin  "women's 
boats,"  of  the  Esquimaux.  The  boat  could  be  readily  disjointed 
and  folded,  so  as  to  occupy  but  a  small  space,  and  could  thus  be 
laid  upon  a  sledge  for  portage  when  no  longer  needed  as  a  boat ; 
and,  on  reaching  water  again,  could  be  as  suddenly  retransformed 
into  its  original  shape. 

Theoretically,  it  was  perfect;  but,  practically,  it  was  found  of 
little  use,  being  excessively  slow.  It  was  used  on  an  exploring 
trip,  and  finally  abandoned  by  Mr.  Chester,  being  left  at  Newman 
Bay,  Mr.  Chester  and  party  walking  back  to  the  Polaris,  then 
distant  from  the  ship  about  twenty  miles. 

In  the  cabin,  in  addition  to  the  small  but  select  library  which 
Captain  Hall  always  had  with  him,  was  a  cabinet  organ,  which 
had  been  generously  presented  to  the  late  commander  by  the 
"  Smith  Organ  Company,"  with  the  hope  that  its  sweet  strains 
would  not  only  assist  the  regular  Sunday  service  on  board  the 
Polaris,  but  that  on  other  occasions  it  would  help  to  while  away 
the  tedious  hours,  when  prevented  from  the  exercise  of  more 
active  duties,  during  the  long  Arctic  night. 

Some  very  valuable  books  were  lost  when  the  Polaris  found- 
ered. That  generous  and  long-tried  friend  of  Arctic  exploration, 
J.  Carson  Brevoort,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  bad,  among  other 
volumes  of  interest  and  value,  placed  on  board  of  that  vessel  for 
Captain  Hall's  use,  an  entire  set  of  the  British  Parliamentarj' 
Blue-books  relating  to  the  English  Arctic  exploring  expeditions. 
There  was  also  a  copy  of  Luke  Fox's  "Arctic  Voyage  of  1635," 
much  valued  by  its  owner,*  partly  from  its  bearing  the  following 
indorsement  in  Captain  Hall's  own  handwriting,  it  having  been 
loaned  to  him  also  in  1864 : 

This  book  belongs  to  my  friend,  J.  Carson  Brevoort. 

To-morrow,  March  31,  myself  and  native  party,  consisting  of  13  souls,  start  on 

my  Hledge-joumey  to  King  William  Land. 

C.  F.  Hall, 
Sflth  (Snow  House)  Enc't.,  near  Fort  Hope,  Repulse  Bay, 
Lat.  6C'  32'  N.,  long.  86'  66'  W. 
Friday,  March  80, 1866. 

Part  of  his  library  Captain  Hall  saved — a  few  books — by 
leaving  them  in  Greenland  with  Inspector  Karrup  Smith,  but 

•  See  interesting  letter  of  Mr.  Brevoort's  in  Appendix,  p.  467. 


A  CHARACTERISTIC  LETTER.  105 

many  others  went  down  with  the  good  ship  Polaris  in  si.'^ht  of 
Life-boat  Cove,  while  others  were  mutilated,  destroyed,  jr  aban- 
doned. 

To  show  the  watchful  interest  which  Captain  Ilall  took  in  the 
proper  outfit  of  his  vessel,  we  introduce  the  following  letter, 
which  is  characteristic  of  the  man,  and  explains  itself.  It  was 
addressed  to  a  friend  who  had  previously  discussed  the  subject 
of  provisioning  the  Polaris  with  him  : 

Wabuinoton,  D.  C,  May  28, 1871. 
Dear  Sir, — Your  letter  of  the  26th  came  to  hand,  and  then  I  telegraphed  you 
as  follows :  "  Do  not  purchase  any  Texas  corned  beef.     Don't  like  it.     Letter  by 
mail." 

The  letter  promised  I  purposed  to  write  and  send  by  last  night's  mail,  but  some- 
how I  was  so  completely  hemmed  in  by  callers  that  I  couldn't  do  it. 

I  simply  say  here,  relative  to  the  Texas  beef,  *  *  *  that  it  does  not  bear  so  favor- 
able a  reputation  among  some  that  have  used  it  as  to  justify  my  having  it  on  so  im- 
portant an  expedition  as  the  one  we  are  preparing.  Indeed,  from  an  examination 
and  use  of  the  article,  I  am  not  favorably  impressed  with  it. 

I  think  it  quite  advisable  to  have  half  the  bread  made  of  the  Graham  flour. 
Am  pleased  that  the  same  can  be  done.  *  *  *  Am  quite  sure  that  the  flour  will 
not  "heat"  when  over  in  the  North  I'olar  country.  Should  there  be  any  danger 
that  it  would,  before  getting  out  of  this  melting  weather,  then  it  would  be  wise  to 
liave  the  wheat  kiln-dried  before  it  is  ground.  This  process  could  not  cost  more 
than  one-half  cent  or  so  per  pound.  But  some  miller  ought  to  be  able  to  tell  us 
whether  Graham  flour  will  keep  or  not.     I  think  it  will. 

You  state  as  follows :  "  I  do  .lot  notice  in  the  list  any  salt  beef."  Of  course,  3'ou 
can  not  find  such  a  rank  scurvy-breeder  in  any  list  I  have  prepared.  It  may  be  that 
just  as  we  get  about  ready  to  start,  I  shall  get  you  to  order  the  putting  up  of  a  few 
barrels  of  slightly  corned  beef.  This  article,  put  up  in  this  way,  will  keep  in  the 
climate  the  expedition  is  going  to,  and  not  give  us  any  scurvy,  while  the  ordinary 
salt  beef  of  the  market  will.  *  *  * 

I  thank  you  for  your  kindly  offer  to  make  your  house  my  home  when  I  come 
there.  In  response,  let  me  say  that  when  I  get  well  settled  doivn  at  the  North  Pole, 
which  I  hope  and  believe  will  be  about  the  middle  of  next  May  (1872),  then  I  may 
send  down  word  to  you  to  come  and  see  me,  and  make  that  objective  point  your 
home.     Methinks  I  see  you  shiver  at  this  suggestion.  *  *  ♦ 

The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  is  going  to  let  the  Polar  Expedition  have  the  store- 
ship  Supply,  now  on  its  way  from  France,  as  a  transport.  [United  Stales  steamer 
Congress  substituted. — Ed.']  All  the  senators  I  have  spoken  with  are  quite  in  favor 
of  his  doing  so.  Senators  Morton,  Patterson,  Nye,  Thurman,  Sumner,  Fenton  have 
each  indorsed  my  written  request  for  a  transport  to  Greenland  by  adding  favorable 
written  sentiments  they  entertain  in  behalf  of  this  movament. 

If  it  would  help  the  case  at  all,  /  could  get  nearly  every  Senator  and  Representative 
to  indorse  so  reasonable  a  petition.  But,  really,  yours  and  your  brother's  action, 
before  you  left  Washington,  [sufliciently]  contributed  to  show  the  Secretary  the  ex- 
pediency of  sending  along  a  transport. 

I  am  blessed  with  having  so  noble  a  soul  as  is  Secretary  Robeson  to  aid  me  in 


106 


ARCTIC  EXI'ERIENCLS. 


accomplishing  the  great  work  of  my  life.  /  love  the  man,  and  therefore  his  most 
intimate  friends  from  early  days,  as  are  you  and  your  brother,  I  profoundly  respect. 
I  rejoice  that  the  Secretary  has  selected  you  to  attend  upon  me,  for  now,  without 
difficulty,  I  can  have  whatever,  in  reason,  I  shall  recjuire  to  help  me  to  make  geo- 
graphical discoveries  from  lat.  80''  N.  up  to  the  North  Pole — a  feai  that  has  baffled 
the  civilized  world  for  more  than  three  centuries.  The  President  has  promised  to 
visit  the  Polaris  on  Wednesday  next.     Yours,  etc., 

C.  F.  Hall. 


A  BN0W-B4TTALI. 


THE  I'OLARIS  I'UT  INTO  COMMISSION.  107 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Polnrix\mi  into  rommission. — Official  Instnirtions  to  the  Commander. — Scien- 
tific Diieitions. — Letter  of  Captain  Hall's. — List  of  the  Officers  and  Crew. 

Previous  to  sailing,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Hon,  George 
M.  Robeson,  put  the  Polaris  formally  in  commission,  placing  the 
command  of  the  expedition,  the  '^vessel,  officers,  and  crew,^^  under 
the  orders  of  Captain  Charles  Francis  Hall.  This  point  it  is  well 
for  the  reader  to  observe,  as  on  its  subsequent  interpretation  the 
welfare  and  success  of  the  whole  expedition  turned. 

Captain  Hall  was  ordered  to  make  the  ^rst  favorable  port 
on  the  west  coast  of  Greenland,  leaving  it  to  his  judgment  to 
stop  at  St,  Johns,  Newfoundland,  if  he  thought  best  for  any  rea- 
son to  do  so.  It  was  further  ordered  that,  if  the  first  Greenland 
port  made  was  south  of  Holsteinborg,  the  Polaris  should  from 
thence  go  to  the  last-named  settlement,  and  from  Holsteinborg 
to  the  harbor  of  Goodhavn,  on  the  island  of  Disco,  where  the 
transport -ship,  the  Congress,  was  expected  to  bring  him  addi- 
tional stores,  and  establish  a  depot  for  future  use.  At  the  two 
most  northern  settlements,  Upernavik  and  Tossac,  dogs  and  any 
other  Arctic  necessity  were  to  be  called  for. 

After  leaving  the  last  of  these  Greenland  ports,  the  Secretary 
directs  that  the  Polaris  shall  go  to  Cape  Dudley  Diggs  (about 
76°  N.),  "  and  thence  you  will  make  all  possible  progress,  with 
vessels,  boats,  and  sledges  toward  the  North  Pole,  using  your' 
own  judgment  as  to  the  route  or  routes  to  be  pursued,  and  the 
locality  for  each  winter's  quarters."  The  Polaris  expedition, 
having  been  provisioned  for  two  years  and  a  half,  it  was  ex- 
pected that  Captain  Hall  would  continue  his  explorations  for  the 
whole  of  that  period,  unless  "the  main  object  of  the  expedition, 
viz.,  attaining  the  position  of  the  North  Pole,  be  accomplished  at 
an  earlier  period,"  in  which  event  it  was  of  course  expected  and 
ordered  that  the  Polaris  should  return  to  the  United  States. 

The  law  of  Congress  having  provided  for  a  Scientific  Corps  to 
be  attached  to  the  expedition,  and  also  provided  that  the  Nation- 


108  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

al  Academy  of  Sciences  should  prescribe  their  duties  and  modes 
of  operation,  the  Secretary  included  in  his  instructions  to  Captain 
Hall  this  clause :  "  The  charge  and  direction  of  the  scientific  op- 
erations, will  be  intrusted,  under  your  cominnnd,  to  Dr.  P]mil  Bes- 
sel ;  and  you  will  render  Dr.  Bessel  and  his  assistants  all  such 
facilities  and  aids  as  may  be  in  your  power." 

The  Secretary  further  orders  that  all  objects  of  natural  curios- 
ity collected  by  any  of  the  individuals  of  the  company  should  be 
carefully  preserved,  and  considered  the  property  of  the  Govern- 
ment. 

Again  :  "You  will  give  special  written  directions  to  the  sailing 
and  ice  master  of  the  expedition,  Mr.  S.  O.  Buddington,  and  to  the 
Chief  of  the  Scientific  Department,  Dr.  E.  Bessel,  that,  in  case  of 
your  death  or  disability,  *  *  *  they  shall  consult  as  to  the  pro- 
priety and  manner  of  carrying  into  further  effect  the  foregoing 
instructions — which  I  here  urge  must,  if  possible,  be  done.  *  *  * 
In  any  event,  however,  Mr,  Buddington  shall,  in  case  of  your 
death  or  disability,  continue  as  the  sailing  and  ice  master,  and 
control  and  direct  the  movements  of  the  vessel." 

It  was  directed  that  Buddington  should  consult  with  Dr.  Bes- 
sel, but  the  former  alone,  the  commander  being  dead  or  disabled, 
should  decide  on  the  propriety  of  returning  to  the  United  States. 

The  usual  directions  are  given,  "to  report  at  all  convenient 
opportunities  to  the  Navy  Department,"  to  erect  monuments  in 
proper  positions,  inclosing  records  of  progress  and  general  con- 
dition of  the  party;  and  to  establish  caches  of  provisions,  accord- 
ing to  judgment.  After  passing  Cape  Dudley  Diggs,  no  ordina- 
ry mode  of  communication  with  the  civilized  world  could  be  ex- 
pected. It  was  therefore  ordered  that  bottles  closely  sealed,  or 
small  copper  cylinders,  containing  a  statement  of  the  latitude 
and  longitude,  with  any  other  facts  of  special  interest,  should  be 
thrown  overboard  daily,  if  open  water  or  drifting  ice  promised  to 
convey  them  to  sea.  These  papers  were  provided  by  the  Gov- 
ernment, printed  in  different  languages,  with  blanks  to  be  filled 
in  with  the  occasion  of  using. 

In  addition  to  the  instructions  of  Secretary  Eobeson,  Professor 
Henry,  through  the  former,  requested  that  "one  point  should  be 
specially  urged  upon  Captain  Hall,  namely,  the  determination, 
with  the  utmost  scientific  precision  possible,  of  all  his  geograph- 
ical positions,  and  especially  of  the  ultimate  northern  limit  which 


SCIENTIFIC  DIRECTIONS.  109 

he  attains.  The  evidence  of  the  genuineness  of  every  determina- 
tion of  this  kind  should  be  made  apparent  beyond  all  question." 

To  as.sist  in  this  being  done,  the  Polaris  was  liberally  supj)lied 
with  all  needed  instruments  of  the  best  quality,  as  also  with 
charts  and  books,  and  whatever  else  was  needed  to  command 
success. 

The  instructions  to  the  Scientific  Corps  were  prepared  by  Pro- 
fessor Joseph  Henry,  President  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sci- 
ences, assisted  by  Professors  Baird,  Agassiz,  Ililgard  and  Meek, 
at  Washington,  and  are  of  the  most  elaborate  description,  as  will 
be  seen  by  referring  to  the  Appendix. 

The  most  prominent  point  insisted  upon  was  absolute  accuracy. 
It  is  ordered,  say  the  instructions,  "  in  all  cases,  that  the  actual 
instrumental  readings  must  be  recorded,  and  if  any  corrections 
are  to  be  applied,  the  reason  for  these  corrections  must  also  be  re- 
corded." Again :  "  The  evidence  of  the  genuineness  of  the  obser- 
vations brought  back  should  be  of  the  most  irrefragable  charac- 
ter. No  erasures  whatever  with  rubber  or  knife  should  be  made. 
When  an  entry  requires  correction,  the  figures  or  words  should 
be  merely  crossed  by  a  line,  and  the  correct  figures  written  above." 

As  to  the  subjects  committed  to  the  observation  and  record 
of  the  Scientific  Corps,  we  shall  merely  indicate  them  in  general 
terms,  referring  those  who  desire  to  make  themselves  acquainted 
with  the  details  to  the  originals  in  the  Appendix. 

The  first  order  relates  to  the  keeping  of  a  full  and  accurate 
log -book,  of  all  transactions  concerning  the  expedition;  and  a 
journal  of  similar  import,  to  be  filled  up  daily,  when  on  sledge- 
expeditions. 

The  astronomical  observations  were  to  be  made  four  times  a 
day,  and  each  operation  repeated  three  times  to  guard  against 
mistakes. 

The  variations  of  the  compass  is  to  be  continually  watched  and 
recorded,  and  on  sledge-journeys  particular  attention  to  be  paid 
to  the  dip  and  relative  intensity  of  the  magnetic  force;  and  at 
winter-quarters,  "  the  absolute  horizontal  intensity  to  be  deter- 
mined with  the  theodolite  magnetometer,  including  the  determi- 
nation of  the  moment  of  inertia.*' 

Notes  to  be  taken  of  the  various  features  of  the  aurora  borealis. 
Also  pendulum  experiments,  to  determine  the  force  of  gravity  in 
diflferent  latitudes. 


no  ARCTIC  KXrKUIFNCEf]. 

Tides,  currents,  sea-soundings,  bottom-dredging,  and  the  den- 
sity of  8«'a  water  in  different  localities,  to  be  tested. 

Registers  of  temperature,  the  pressure  of  the  air,  and  the  j)ro- 
portion  of  moisture  contained  in  the  latter,  are  all  to  be  made  the 
subject  of  careful  experiment. 

The  velocity  of  the  winds,  observations  on  the  clouds,  the  pre- 
cipitation of  water,  the  form  and  weight  of  hailstones,  the  char- 
acter of  snow,  and  any  peculiarities  of  crystallization,  all  to  be 
noted. 

Electricity  in  all  its  multiform  developments,  the  polarization 
of  light,  as  also  optical  phenomena,  mirage,  halos,  parhelia,  lu- 
minous arches,  and  meteors  of  all  kinds,  to  be  looked  after. 

Experiments  for  the  detection  of  ozone  in  the  atmosphere  were 
provided  for,  by  supplying  Dr.  Bessel  with  sensitized  paper,  and 
with  directions  how  to  extemporize  the  necessary  apparatus. 

In  natural  history  and  geology,  it  is  only  necessary  here  to  ob- 
.serve  that  the  scientists  were  expected  to  improve  all  opportuni- 
ties to  make  collections  of  specimens,  and  to  take  the  utmost  care 
so  to  label  and  arrange  them  that  no  false  deductions  might  be 
drawn  through  errors  of  fact. 

The  course  and  growth  of  glaciers  being  of  exceptional  inter- 
est receives  large  notice,  and  every  suggestion  is  made  to  induce 
:i  thorough  scientific  examination  of  such  portions  of  any  as  may 
i>e  traversed  by  the  sledge-parties.  The  late  lamented  Professor 
Louis  Agassiz  furnished  the  remarks  on  this  point,  indicating  to 
Dr.  Bessel  the  great  importance  of  comparative  examinations  of 
the  Greenland  or  other  Arctic  glaciers  with  the  known  history 
of  the  Alpine  rivers  of  ice.  He  wisely  forbears  giving  utterance 
to  any  dictum  on  disputed  points.  He  says :  "  I  have  purposely 
avoided  all  theoretical  considerations,  and  only  call  attention  to 
xhe  facts  which  it  is  most  important  to  ascertain,  in  order  to  have 
a  statement  as  unbiased  as  possible." 

While  in  Washington  previous  to  sailing,  a  want  of  mutual 
respect  was  known  to  exist  between  Captain  Hall  and  Dr.  Bes- 
sel ;  and  so  far  was  Dr.  Bessel's  discourtesy  carried,  on  several 
occasions,  that  Captain  Hall  would  have  been  quite  justified  in 
refusing  to  take  him  in  his  company,  and  calling  for  a  volunteer 
in  his  place. 

It  had  originally  been  the  intention  of  Captain  Hall,  after  reach- 
ing the  head  of  BaiSBn  Bay,  to  strike  across  to  the  west  and  sail 


LETTKU  TO  THE  SECRETARY  OF  THE  NAVY.      HI 

through  Jones  Sound,  and  thence  to  the  North  Polrxr  Sea,  which 
had  inspired  Sir  Edward  Belcher  with  such  abject  fears;  but, 
after  careful  consideration  and  consultation  with  Arctic  experts, 
he  finally  concluded  to  sail  as  nearly  due  north  as  possible 
through  Smith  Sound  and  connecting  waters. 

The  day  before  the  iVum  sailed.  Captain  Ilall  expressed  his 
gratitude,  in  the  following  language,  for  the  thorough  manner  in 
which  the  expedition  had  been  fitted  out: 

steamer  PolarU,  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  Jane  2S,  1871. 

Sm, — I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  the  steamer  Polaris,  selectetl  by  jou  for  the 
expedition  toward  the  North  Pole,  under  my  command,  is  now  ready  for  sea,  and 
will  sail  to-morrow. 

JJefore  leaving  p<jrt,  I  can  not  forbear  expressing  my  great  obligation  to  you  for 
the  intelligent  and  generous  manner  in  which  you  have  provided  for  the  exjMidition 
in  all  resjiects.  The  ship  has  been,  under  your  directions,  strengthened  and  pre- 
pared for  the  special  sen  ice  upon  which  she  enters  in  the  most  approved  manner; 
and  is  supplied  with  every  appliance  to  make  the  expedition  a  success. 

The  officers  and  crew  of  the  ship  are  all  I  could  desire,  and  the  provision  made  for 
the  subsistence  and  protection  of  all  on  Iward  is  the  l^est  that  could  be  devised. 

Your  generous  response  to  every  legitimate  request  I  have  made  in  regard  to  the 
ship's  outfit  demands  the  expression  of  my  warmest  gratitude.  The  only  return  1 
can  make  now  is  the  assurance  of  my  determination,  with  God's  blessing,  that  the 
expedition  shall  prove  a  success,  and  redound  to  the  honor  of  our  country,  and  to  the 
credit  of  your  administration.  ♦  *  *  With  an  abiding  faith  that  the  results  of  the 
expedition  will  prove  the  wisdom  of  Congress  in  providing  for  it,  and  justify  the  gen- 
erous manner  in  which  you  have  performed  the  duty  assigned  you,  I  am, 

Very  respectfully,  i  ju.  obedient  8er\'ant, 

C.  F.  Hall, 
Commanding  U.  S,  Xorth  Polar  Expedition. 

Hon.  Geo.  M.  Rouebon,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

The  Polaris  sailed  from  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard  at  seven  p.m. 
of  the  29th  of  June,  and  made  a  pleasant  run  of  seventeen  hours, 
and  then  dropped  anchor  in  New  London  Harbor  at  eleven  a.m. 
of  the  30th  of  June. 

The  especial  object  of  putting  in  to  New  London  was  to  get  an 
assistant  engineer,*  the  one  engaged  in  New  York,  Wilson,  hav- 
ing deserted.  His  p!'-^  was  supplied  by  a  better  man,  Mr. 
Odell,  who  had  served  in  the  United  States  Navy  during  the 
late  war. 

The  carpenter  of  the  ship  had  also  been  taken  sick  in  New 
York,  and  had  been  sent  to  the  hospital  just  before  the  Polaris 

*  See  letter  of  Captain  Hall's  in  Appendix,  p.  453. 


112  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

sailed,  and  it  was  thought  that  one  might  be  obtained  at  New 
London.  V 

From  this  port  Captain  Hall  also  reported  the  desertion  of 
three  other  men — a  fireman,  seaman,  and  the  cook — and  the  dis- 
charge of  the  steward  for  incapacity.  These  positions  were  all 
refilled  at  New  London,  except  the  carpenter,  who  recovered,  and 
was  subsequently  forwarded  by  the  tender  Congress. 

The  following  is  the  corrected  muster-roll,  as  made  out  by  Cap- 
tain Hall,  on  July  2,  and  forwarded  by  him  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy : 

C.  F.  Ilall Commander. 

Sidney  ().  Huddington Sailing  and  Ice  Master, 

George  E.  Tyson Assistant  Navigator. 

H.  C.  Chester First  Mate. 

William  Morton Second  Mate. 

Emil  .Sthuman Chief  Engineer. 

Alvin  A.  (Well Assistant  Engineer. 

Walter  F.  Campbell Fireman. 

John  W.  Booth " 

John  Ilerron Steward. 

William  Jackson Cook. 

Nathan  J,  Coffin. Carjjenter. 

Seamen. 

Herman  Sieman.  Joseph  B.  Mauch. 

Frederick  Anthing.  G.  W.  Lindquist. 

J.  W.  C.  Kruger.     >  I'eter  Johnson. 

Henry  Hobby.  Frederick  Jamka. 

Willlani  Lindermann.  Noah  Hays. 


Emil  Bessel Surgeon  and  Chief  of  Scientific  Corps. 

R.  W.  I).  Bryan Astronomer  and  Chaplain, 

Fretlerick  Meyers Meteorologist. 


Esquimaux. 

Joe Interpreter  and  General  Assistant. 

Hannah 

Tuncy Child. 

^      (  Hans  Christian Dog-driver,  Hunter,  and  Servant. 

fc^  \  Wife  of  Hans 

«  ••:  /  Aiigustina Child. 


I  H  J  Tobias. 
(  Succi 


u 


BlUGUAi'UlC^VL  SKETCH  OF  CAl'TAiN  HALL.  HJJ 


CHAPTER  V. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  CAPTAIN   HALL. 

Nativity  and  early  Life  of  Charles  Francis  Hall. — Leaves  liis  native  State  of  New 
Hampshire  and  settles  in  Ohio. — Takes  to  Journulistn. — Attracted  by  Arctic  Lit- 
erature.— Unsucces^;iul  litfbrt  to  join  M'Cliiitock. — Sails  for  the  Arctic  Regions  in 
the  (leorge  Henri/,  of  New  London. — The  Tender  Rescue  and  the  Expedition  Bout 
lost  in  a  Storm. — He  explores  Frobisher  Bay  and  ('ountess  of  Warwick  Sound. — 
Collects  lielics  of  Franklin's  Expedition.  —  Returns  to  the  United  States, — His 
Theories  regarding  the  Franklin  Exj)edition. — Sails  for  the  North,  1804,  in  the 
Bark  Monlicello. — His  Discoveries. — Skeletons  of  Franklins  Men  scattered  over 
King  William  Land. — Annual  Reports. — His  Life  with  the  Esquimaux. — Return 
to  the  United  States. — Physical  Apjiearance. — Mental  Traits. — In  the  Innuit  Land 
he  did  as  the  Innuits  do. — Persevering  Efforts  to  organize  the  North  Polar  F>xpe- 
dition. — President  Grant  personally  interested. — "That  Historical  Flag." — How 
he  would  know  when  he  got  to  the  Pole. — His  Premosiitions. — His  last  Dispatch. 

Charles  Francis  Hall,  though  long  a  resident  of  Ohio,  was 
born  in  the  township  of  Rochester,  in  the  State  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  the  year  1821,  His  early  life  was  far  from  luxurious, 
though  not  lacking  in  the  ordinary  comforts  of  country  homes. 
He  was  early  inured  to  work,  and  received  only  the  usual  com- 
mon-school education  of  the  period,  which  was  far  more  limited 
then  than  now. 

But  a  lad  fond  of  reading  will  readily  make  amends  for  the 
limitation  of  school  facilities,  and  young  Hall  was  omnivorous  in 
this  respect,  so  that  not  only  the  books  in  his  own  family  but 
those  of  his  friends  and  neighbors  were  sought  out,  borrowed, 
and  read.  He  thus  became  pos.sessed  of  a  curious  conglomeration 
of  information,  over  which  he  brooded,  without,  it  would  seem, 
any  proper  direction  as  to  systematic  study.  And  thus  he  plod- 
ded his  way  along,  like  many  another  dreamy  lad,  whose  heart 
and  aim  is  all  beyond,  and  outside  of,  his  every-day  occupations. 

As  his  school-days  ended  the  unattractive  labor  of  a  black- 
smith's shop  opened  before  him;  and  though  not  much  to  his  taste, 
this  heavy  work  assisted  materially  in  developing  his  muscles  and 
hardening  his  constitution,  thus  indirectly  helping  to  fit  him  for 
the  arduous  adventures  of  his  later  years. 

8 


114 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


0UABLE8  FBANOIB  UALL. 


While  yet  a  young  man,  he  left  his  native  place,  and  with  it 
the  blaclvsmith's  trade.  Setting  his  face  westward,  after  some 
experiments  elsewhere,  he  settled  in  Cincinnati.  Here  he  made 
arrangements  to  learn  the  seal  engraving,  and  in  this  business  he 
continued  for  some  years ;  but  he  had  not  yet  found  his  forte. 
This  sort  of  work,  though  more  artistic  than  shoeing  horses  or 
welding  iron,  did  not  satisfy  him. 

He  took  to  journalism,  and  published  at  Cincinnati,  first  the 


ATTRACTED  BY  AKCTIC  LITERATURE.  115 

Occasional,  and  subsequently  the  Daily  Penny  Press;  and  both 
of  these  periodicals  amply  prove  that,  though  Captain  Hall  was 
not  a  college  graduate  nor  a  professed  scientist,  he  was  very  far 
from  being  an  ignorant  man.  lie  was  well-read,  intelligent, 
thoughtful,  and  a  persevering  student  of  whatever  he  undertook 
to  make  himself  acquainted  with. 

For  nearly  ten  years  before  he  sailed  on  his  first  Arctic  voyage 
he  had  been  an  enthusiastic  reader  of  Arctic  literature.  Natu- 
rally attracted  by  the  subject,  which  has  fascinated  so  many  brill- 
iant minds,  he  searched  out,  read  up,  and  carefully  studied  every 
thing  relating  to  Polar  affairs  which  he  could  get  hold  of;  and 
by  the  time  that  England  and  the  United  States  were  fully 
awakened  to  the  necessity  of  sending  relieving  parties  to  search 
for  Sir  John  Franklin,  young  Ilall  was  fully  aroused,  eager  and 
anxious  to  join  in  the  search.  The  first  Grinnell  Expedition 
especially  excited  his  enthusiasm,  but  no  way  then  appeared 
open  to  him  by  which  he  could  join  it.  Disappointed  in  that,  he 
made  another  unsuccessful  effort  to  go  out  with  M'Clintock,  in 
1857. 

At  this  time  his  mind  was  so  unsettled  between  his  desire  to 
go  on  a  Polar  expedition  and  the  necessary  claims  of  his  family 
— for  he  had  married  in  Cincinnati — that  his  business,  never  very 
profitable,  became  more  and  more  embarrassed.  To  his  eye,  the 
Polar  regions  had  all  the  attraction  of  a  terrestrial  paradise ;  its 
glistening  icebergs  and  snow-clad  plains  were  as  enchanting  to 
his  imagination  as  the  fairy-tales  of  younger  days ;  and,  above 
all,  he  had  that  impression  of  fatalism,  that  inspiration  of  a  per- 
sonal mission,  which  looked  to  some  of  his  friends  like  a  mania, 
but  which  was  a  convincing  voice  to  him  that  success  was  possi- 
ble, and  that  he  was  the  person  to  succeed. 

But  he  had  no  money,  no  means  whatever  of  fitting  up  a  pri- 
vate expedition,  no  influence  at  Washington,  at  that  time,  by 
which  he  might  hope  to  attain  his  purpose,  nor,  after  De  Haven's 
return,  did  the  Government  appear  inclined  to  invest  further  in 
that  direction.  But  here  and  there  our  enthusiast  gained  friends ; 
touched  the  heart  of  one  man  by  his  pictures  of  some  stray  wan- 
derer of  that  fated  expedition  dragging  out  an  isolated  and  half- 
savage  existence  among  the  Esquimaux;  interested  the  imagina- 
tion of  another  by  narrations  of  the  wonderful  scenes  which  had 
met  the  wondering  gaze  of  preceding  explorers;  reached  even 


116  ARCTIC  EXl'EUIENCES. 

to  the  pockets  of  others,  who  believed  that  such  devotion  would 
accomplish  something,  if  the  right  start  was  given  ;  and  offers  of 
aid  at  last  cheered  and  encouraged  him  to  hope  that  his  heart's 
desire  might  yet  be  fulfilled.  • 

But  it  was  not  until  the  year  1860  that  he  was  at  last  enabled 
to  put  his  long-cherished  plans  in  operation.  In  pursuit  of  in- 
formation among  practical  men,  who  knew  the  modes  of  life 
among  the  Esquimaux,  and  the  resources  for  living  on  the  shores 
north  of  Hudson  Bay,  and  north  and  west  of  Cumberland 
Sound,  Captain  Hall  visited  New  London,  Connecticut.  Here 
he  was  fortunately  introduced  to  the  firm  of  Williams  &  Haven, 
who  generously  tendered  him  a  free  passage  in  their  bark,  the 
George  Henry,  to  which  was*  attached  as  tender  the  famous  Res- 
cue, a  schooner  once  known  as  the  Anaret,  and  which  had  been 
consort  to  the  Advance  in  1850-51,  in  the  De  Haven  Arctic  ex- 
pedition. 

A  fund  was  raised  by  his  friends  in  New  York,  Cincinnati,  ; 
New  London,  and  elsewhere,  to  provide  the  necessary  outfit;  and 
on  the  29th  of  May,  1860,  he  had  the  inexpressible  pleasure  of 
at  last  finding  himself  sailing  toward  the  goal  of  all  his  hopes. 

An  "expedition  boat,"  a  fine  large  sail-boat,  had  been  express- 
ly built  for  him,  and  in  this  he  expected,  by  portage  and  other- 
wise, to  reach  King  William  Land,  to  prosecute  his  researches 
in  shallow  waters  which  the  bark  could  not  enter,  and  farther  to 
the  north  and  west  than  the  whaler  was  destined  to  go. 

He  reached  Cyrus  Field  Bay  without  special  incident,  and 
made  some  interesting  trips  in  his  expedition  boat;  but  his  hopes 
were  fearfully  dashed  by  its  wreck  and  entire  loss,  during  a  vio- 
lent storm,  which  occurred  on  the  27th  of  September,  at  which 
time  the  Oeorge  Henry  was  endangered,  and  the  Rescue  went 
ashore  and  became  a  total  loss.  Captain  Ty^on,  then  master  of 
the  brig  Qeorgiana,  was  involved  in  the  same  storm,  and,  though 
for  some  time  expecting  the  certain  destruction  of  liis  own  ves- 
sel, he  sent  a  portion  of  his  crew  to  try  and  save  Hall's  precious 
expedition  boat;  but  their  efforts  were  ineffectual.  Though  sadly 
disappointed  by  the  loss,  it  did  not  wholly  dishearten  him.  He 
could  not  do  as  he  had  predetermined,  but  he  decided  to  stay  and 
do  what  he  could.  His  aim  had  been  to  proceed  north  and  west 
in  search  of  possible  survivors  of  the  Franlilin  expedition,  through 
the  connecting  waters  north  and  west  of  Fox  Channel ;  but  the 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  THE  ARCTIC  REGIONS.  117 

loss  of  the  Rescue  and  his  expedition  boat  completely  frustrated 
this  intention.  He  was  for  a  moment  cheered  by  the  promise  of 
a  stout  whale-boat  by  old  Captain  Parker,  of  the  British  whaler 
True  Love^  but  ficcident  prevented  his  receiving  it.  He  then  re- 
solved to  make  what  explorations  he  could  with  dog-sledgoa,  and 
subsequently,  with  the  aid  of  these  and  an  "old,  rotten,  leaky, 
and  ice-beaten  boat"  obtained  from  the  George  Ilenry^  made  that 
thorough  examination  of  both  shores  and  the  terminus  of  Fro- 
bishcr  Bay  and  Countess  of  Warwick  Sound  which  has  since  be- 
come a  part  of  Arctic  history.  The  account  of  the  reliquiae  be- 
longing to  the  visits  of  that  ancient  voyager,  collected  and  brought 
by  Captain  Hall  from  that  region,  is  fully  detailed  in  his  graphic 
and  entertaining  work  entitled  "Arctic  liesearches." 

On  this  expedition  he  wag  absent  two  years  and  a  half,  return- 
ing with  accurate  charts,  and  much  other  valuable  information 
regarding  the  inhabitants  and  resources  of  the  country.  His 
crowning  geographical  discovery  on  this  trip  was  that  of  proving 
the  water  named  by  Frobisher  as  a  strait,  and  which  had  been  so 
designated  on  the  maps  for  two  hundred  and  eighty-four  years,  to 
be  a  bay.  But  still  mindful  of  his  original  object,  Captain  Hall 
had  no  sooner  returned  to  the  United  States,  than  he  set  about 
planning  another  journey  to  the  north-west.  He  had  brought 
home  with  him  two  of  the  natives,  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito — the 
"Joe"  and  "Hannah  "  of  the  Polaris  Expedition.  These  Esqui- 
maux, orlnnuits,  as  they  prefer  to  call  themselves,  had  been  taken 
to  England  in  1858;  and  the  woman  especially  had  acquired 
many  of  the  habits  of  civilization,  spoke  sufficiently  good  English 
to  act  as  an  interpreter,  and  could  read  a  little.  "Joe"  was  an 
excellent  pilot,  and  could  also  speak  some  English. 

From  what  Captain  Hall  had  learned  from  the  natives  during 
his  sojourn  and  explorations  around  Frobisher  Bay,  he  had  be- 
come fully  convinced  that  the  Esquimaux  held  the  secret  of  the 
fate  ^  Sir  John  Franklin's  company,  and  that  by  living  with 
them  .)ng  enough  to  gain  their  confidence  he  should  be  able  to 
extract  all  the  truth  from  them. 

These  ideas  were  so  inwrought  in  his  mind  that  he  determined 
to  return  to  the  Arctic  regions  as  soon  as  a  new  outfit  could  be 
secured,  and  to  remain  there  expatriated  for  half  a  decade;  to 
live  with  and  among  the  natives,  making  himself  completely  one 
of  them — all  with  the  benevolent  hope  that  he  might  be  able  to 


118 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


m^-  iii%,.,,. 


iOe,  UANNAU,  AMD  OUILU. 


tiiid.  ijlieve,  and  bring  back  to  civilization  some  possible  sur- 
vivor of  the  lost  expedition. 

All  of  his  old  and  many  new  friends  came  forward  to  his  sup- 
port. The  winter  of  1863-64  was  principally  spent  by  him  in 
lecturing,  writing,  and  visiting  where  he  could  create  or  renew 
an  interest  in  his  new  expedition. 

New  London  again  furnished  him  a  passage.  This  time  it 
was  made  in  the  bark  Monticello,  of  which  Richard  W.  Chappel 
was  agent.    In  the  log-book  we  find  the  following  entries: 


HALLS  DISCOVERIKS.  119 

"■June  .30, 1804.  The  Arctic  expedition:  Mr.  Hull  and  his  two  natives  take  pas- 
sage for  Repulse  Bay."     [The  two  natives  were  Joe  and  Hannah.— /;"</.] 

•Mu^.  21.  Anchored  close  to  Dqjot  Island,  and  landed  Hall's  expedition. 

''Dec.  14.  Two  sledges,  with  eight  natives  on  one,  and  Mr.  Hall's  Joe  and  a  white 
man  on  the  other,  came  to  the  ship  and  brought  225  lbs.  of  deer  and  musk-ox  meat 
and  some  suits  of  native  clothing ;  they  were  five  days  coming.  They  also  brought 
five  ox,  six  bear,  and  ten  deer  skins.  Mr.  Hall  sends  a  letter  saying  he  has  heard  of 
six  men  living  with  Esquimaux  north  of  Repulse  Buy.  He  will  visit  the  ship  in 
January.     Mi"  below  zero. 

'■'■Dec.  19.  Natives  returned  to  Mr.  Hall.     Will  come  again  at  full  moon. 

"■Jan.  13, 1865.  Mr.  Hall  and  Esquimaux,  seventeen  in  number,  came  to  the  ship. 
Five  days  on  their  journey  down.  Mr.  Hall  is  not  looking  verj-  well,  but  I  bclie\e 
he  is  enjoying  good  health. 

'■'■Feb.  10.  Mr.  Hall,  two  natives,  and  one  woman  left  for  their  homes  at  the  north. 
Three  hearty  cheers  from  ship's  company,  and  all  the  good  wishes  that  could  be  ex- 
pressed  for  his  welfare.  I  think  it  will  be  doubtful  if  he  will  be  able  to  reach  Re- 
pulse Bay  before  midsummer,  as  the  natives  don't  want  to  get  there  before  July  or 
August.     Think  Mr.  Hall  will  not  go  without  them. 

"March  22.  Mr.  Hall  sent  a  dog-team  to  the  ship,  with  600  lbs.  of  ox-meat,  to 
divide  among  the  ships. 

"March  25.  Albert  and  Jack  left  f:,i  Mr.  Hall.  Took  a  boat  from  the  Antelope 
[Captain  Tyson]  for  Hall.  Albert  loath  to  leave,  as  he  does  not  know  when  he 
would  see  ships  again,  as  he  was  going  tt*  travel  with  Hall. " 

hall's  discoveries. 

Ilall  pursued  his  investigations  in  pursuit  of  information  re- 
garding Franklin's  party  with  unsparing  devotion  and  great  suc- 
cess. Ke  gathered,  from  evidence  collected  among  the  natives, 
that  one  of  Franklin's  vessels  had  actually  made  the  North-west 
Pas.sage  while  yet  five  living  men  remained  on  board ;  also  that, 
when  abandoned  by  the  crew,  the  vessel  had  been  left  in  perfect 
order,  and  was  found  by  the  Esquimaux,  in  the  spring  of  1849, 
near  O'Reilly  Island,  lat.  68°  30'  N.,  long.  99°  8'  W.,  where  it  had 
been  frozen  in. 

Captain  Hall  said  that  the  skeletons  of  Franklin's  men  were 
scattered  over  King  William  Land;  and  he  explains  that  the 
Esquimaux  of  that  region  are  very  different  in  character  and  dis- 
position from  those  of  Repulse  Bay;  and  that,  with  one  or  two  ex- 
ceptions, they  had  refused  to  render  the  lost  explorers  any  as- 
sistance, though  they  were  well  able  (having  enough  food  them- 
selves) to  have  saved  their  lives;  but  instead  of  aiding  them,  not 
only  allowed  them  to  perish,  but  also  plundered  them  of  every 
thing  they  could  make  use  of,  and  even  suffered  their  dogs  to 
eat  them.     He  also  heard  and  believed  the  native  statement  that 


120 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


Bkl.IOS  OP  FBANKLIN  8  KXl-KIIITION. 


some  of  Franklin's  men  had  eaten  their  companions.  Captain 
Hall  believed  also  that  the  original  records  of  the  Erehus  and 
Terror  are  still  in  existence,  and  can  probably  still  be  found  in  a 
vault  eastward  and  inland  from  Cape  Victory.  He  was  unable 
to  reach  that  point  himself,  on  account  of  a  war  which  was  then 
in  progress  between  the  native  tribes  of  that  region. 

During  the  five  years  which  Captain  Hall  spent  in  these  ex- 
plorations, he  made  no  definite  attempt  at  purely  Polar  discov- 


HALL'S  LIFE  WITH  THE  ESQUIMAUX.  121 

eries,  though  incidentally  making  many.*  He  did  not  go  above 
70°  N. ;  but  he  searched  very  thoroughly  Melville  Peninsula, 
Fury  and  Ilecla  straits,  Pelly  Bay,  Boothia  Peninsula  and  Gulf, 
and  part  of  King  William  Land,  connecting  these  with  his  Fro- 
bisher  Bay  exploration;?.  He  procured  from  the  natives  as  many 
as  one  hundred  and  fifty  relies  of  the  Franklin  Expedition,  con- 
sisting of  articles  which  had  belonged  either  to  the  officers  or 
ships  of  the  lost  expedition,  and,  with  full  records  of  his  sojourn 
and  journeys  in  the  Innuit  land,  returned  to  the  United  States 
September  1, 1869. 

CAPTAIN   hall's  ANNUAL   REPORTS. 

At  various  times,  through  the  courtesy  of  whaling  captains, 
Captain  Hall  sent  home  news  of  his  progress.  In  1865  he  had 
learned  that  Captain  Crozier  of  the  Terror,  with  Parry,  Lyon,  and 
one  other  whose  name  he  could  not  obtain,  had  survived  the  oth- 
ers, who  earlier  succumbed  to  cold  and  starvation ;  and  that  the 
three  latter  lived  for  some  time  on  the  flesh  of  their  dead  com- 
rades. One  Innuit  (Hall  uses  this  word  to  express  Esquimaux,  as 
generally  understood)  had  sheltered  and  fed  one  of  the  Franklin 
party  until  he  died.  The  evidence  gathered  went  to  prove  that 
Crozier  and  one  other  was  alive  in  the  fall  of  1864.  It  was  also 
affirmed  by  the  natives  that  Franklin's  men  had  engaged  in  a 
battle  with  a  tribe  of  Indians — not  Esquimaux — near  the  estuary 
of  Great  Fish  Eiver;  that  none  of  the  whites  were  killed,  but 
many  of  the  Indians;  and  that  after  this  Captain  Crozier  and  two 
others  had  gone  to  the  south-west  by  land,  to  try  and  get  to  Fort 
Churchill  or  York  Factory,  and  that  then  they  had  food,  and  ei- 
ther skin  or  rubber  boats. 

In  the  fall  of  1866,  Captain  Hall  wintered  on  Repulse  Bay : 
and  during  the  winter  of  1866-67  he  made  a  six  weeks'  journey 
with  dog-sledges  to  the  north-west,  mainly  to  secure  an  ampje 
supply  of  dogs  for  the  next  season.  He  took  with  him  on  this 
journey  five  white  men  —  selected  from  the  crews  of  whalers 
then  lying  at  Repulse  Bay— the  .v.o  natives,  Joe  and  Hannah, 
and  thirty  dogs. 

On  this  occasion  he  met  a  small  hostile  tribe,  but  finally  con- 
ciliated them  by  presents  of  old  knives  and  tin  pans,  and  re- 


*  See  letter  to  Judge  Daly,  in  Appendix,  p.  424. 


122  AUCTIC  EXrEKIKNfES. 

ceived  in  return  forty  dogs.  Ue  experienced  very  cold  weather, 
and  many  hardships  and  inconveniences,  but  all  kept  their  health 
through  the  jourr)ey.  These  nanves  said  that  some  of  the  white 
men  had  been  with  them,  and  one  had  died,  and  was  carefully 
buried. 

On  his  return  to  Repulse  Bay,  Captain  Hall  expressed  himself 
so  certain  of  finding  some  of  Franklin's  party  still  alive,  that  he 
offered  five  hundred  dollars  in  gold  to  each  white  man  who 
would  accompany  him  in  the  search  during  the  season  of 
1867-68.  Five  seamen  from  the  whaling  fleet  then  in  harbor 
offered  to  go,  and,  commencing  their  engagement  in  August,  em- 
ployed about  two  months  in  hunting,  so  as  to  secure  a  stock  of 
provisions  f  ,r  their  journey,  while  awaiting  the  hardening  of 
the  snow  until  it  was  fit  for  sledging.  Captain  Ilall  seemed  to 
feel  the  pressure  of  a  special  call  in  this  direction.  To  the  cap- 
tains in  Repulse  Bay  he  frequently  remarked,  "If  I  die,  I  shall 
die  doing  my  duty." 

In  1868,  Captain  Hall  had  procured  additional  evidence  that 
Captain  Crozier  and  one  man  had  survived  until  1864,  and  heard 
of  others  in  King  William  Land ;  but  he  was  not  made  happy 
by  finding  any  white  man  alive  who  had  belonged  to  that  unfor- 
tunate company.  Convinced  at  last  of  the  fact  that  there  were 
no  survivors  to  rescue.  Captain  Ilall  returned  to  the  United 
States  in  the  bark  Aiisel  Gibbs,*  of  New  Bedford,  with  the  full 
determination  to  secure  a  vessel  and  outfit  to  go  in  search  of  that 
geographical  point  which  has  so  long  eluded  the  efforts  of  Arctic 
adventurers,  the  North  Pole. 

PHYSICAL   APPEARANCE. 

Physically  Captain  Ilall  was  well  adapted  for  his  chosen  work. 
He  was  a  well-proportioned,  powerfully  built  man,  about  five  feet 
eight  inches  in  height,  muscular  rather  than  stout,  though  weigh- 
ing not  far  from  two  hundred  pounds.  Life  and  vigor  seemed 
inseparable  from  the  thought  of  him.  His  head  was  well  shaped, 
large,  and  covered  with  a  profusion  of  wavy,  brown  hair;  the 
beard  also  was  thick  and  heavy,  evincing  utill  more  of  an  inclina- 
tion to  curl.     A  phrenologist  would  have  admired  the  ample  de- 


*  The  Ansel  Gibbs  was  lost  on  the  19th  of  October,  1872,  near  Marble  Island, 
her  crew  being  forced  to  winter  on  shore,  and  were  not  rescued  until  August  of  1873. 


MENTAL  TUAITS.  123 

velopment  of  the  coronal  and  temporal  regions,  and  the  broad, 

ample,  reflective  forehead,  while  a  poet  would  have  found  in  his 

expressive  blue  eye  the  very  counterpart  of  the  good  knight 

Arthur, 

"Of  the 
Frank  and  azure  eyes," 

His  general  expression  was  pleasant,  but  somewhat  dreamy  with- 
al, when  in  repose,  but  kindling  into  a  brilliant  enthusiasm  when 
his  favorite  topics  were  discussed ;  but  possibly  a  skilled  physi- 
ognomist would  have  descried  too  much  of  a  poetical  tempera- 
ment in  our  Polar  knight-errant,  to  have  had  much  faith  in  him 
as  a  discriminator  of,  or  successful  commander  of  men. 

MENTAL  TRAITS. 

Much — far  too  much — has  been  said  in  disparagement  of  Cap- 
tain Ilall,  on  account  of  his  lack  of  what  is  technically  called  a 
''  liberal  education."  lie  had  all  the  education  which  was  needed 
to  have  carried  him  to  the  end  of  his  enterprise,  had  he  not  been 
thwarted  by  the  cowardice  of  one,  and  the  jealousy  of  others. 
One  of  the  most  intelligent  and  generous  friends  of  Arctic  re- 
search, who  for  years  befriended  Captain  Hall,  has  assured  the 
writer  "that  Hall  knew  'Bowditch's  Navigator'  by  heart — ev- 
ery line  of  it,  and  was  perfectly  competent  to  navigate  a  vessel ;" 
while  another  friend  of  many  years'  intimacy,  and  perfectly  com- 
petent of  judging,  writing  to  the  Cincinnati  Commercial  {OcUih^r 
16,  1871),  says,  "Self-taught,  to  a  considerable  extent,  as  was 
Franklin,  nevertheless  Hall  excels  in  the  exactness  and  precision 
of  his  field-work,  in  the  determining  of  latitude  and  longitude, 
and  in  his  careful,  conscientious  record  of  magnetic  and  astro- 
nomical observations ;  for  these,  as  well  as  for  his  accurate  and 
reliable  charting  out  of  coast-lines.  Hall  has  been  complimented 
by  the  British  Admiralty,  and  his  work  has  stood  the  severest 
tests  of  our  own  Coast  Survey  Office,  and  of  the  Smithsonian  In- 
stitute." 

If  Hall  had  not  the  advantage  of  a  severe  and  systematic  train- 
ing in  mathematics  or  science,  he  had  at  least  thoroughly  fitted 
himself  for  the  work  he  had  set  himself  to  do.  He  did  not  pre- 
tend to  be  a  scientific  naturalist,  but  he  was  thoroughly  compe- 
tent to  make  and  record  geographical  discoveries,  and  that  was 
the  object  of  the  Polaris  expedition ;  all  else  should  have  been 


124  AKCTIC  EXI'KRIENCKS. 

subordinate  to  that.  He  was,  despite  his  temperament,  energetic, 
persevering,  and  courageous,  and,  above  all,  unselfish.  The  ex- 
ten*,  to  which  he  was  able  to  overlook  the  insolence  and  imperti- 
nence of  those  who  owed  him  duty  and  allegiance  is  something 
marvelous  to  consider.  Indeed,  he  carried  this  too  far.  Had  he 
dealt  more  sternly  with  the  beginnings  of  insubordination,  we 
might  have  had  a  fi  r  different  story  to  tell ;  but  every  other  feel- 
ing and  sentiment  seemed  swallowed  up,  in  the  absorbing  desire 
to  get  north,  and  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  realize  how,  for  in- 
stance, he  could,  under  the  circumstances,  have  used  such  lan- 
guage as  the  following,  which  he  did  on  the  occasion  of  a  public 
reception  given  him  by  the  Geographical  Society  of  New  York: 
"  I  have  chosen  my  own  men — men  that  will  stand  by  me  through 
thick  and  thin.  Though  we  may  be  surrounded  by  innumera- 
ble icebergs,  and  though  our  vessel  may  be  crushed  like  an  egg- 
shell, I  believe  they  will  stand  by  me  to  the  last.''  Here,  certain- 
ly, was  either  a  sad  lack  of  discrimination,  or  a  wonderful  power 
of  ignoring  disagreeable  facts  when  their  recognition  threatened 
to  interfere  with  the  progress  of  the  expedition. 

One  pleasant  feature  of  Captain  Hall's  character  was  his  ever- 
abounding  gratitude.  His  heart  overflowed  toward  those  who 
assisted  him  in  any  way,  even  the  most  trifling.  Words  seemed 
all  too  tame  to  express  his  sense  of  obligation  to  those  who  had 
forwarded  his  Arctic  exploration  schemes;  and  mingled  with  this 
recognition  of  friendly  human  help,  was  the  ever-present  senti- 
ment of  gratitude  to  God  that  he  had  been  permitted  to  do  some- 
thing toward  elucidating  the  fate  of  Franklin's  expedition,  and 
to  add  to  the  geographical  knowledge  of  the  Polar  regions. 

During  the  period  of  his  stay  in  the  land  of  the  Innuits,  Captain 
Hall  had  become  so  habituated  to  the  usages  of  that  people  that 
he  bad  actually  learned  to  enjoy  his  residence  among  them.  He 
liked  them,  believed  in  them,  and  thought  them  more  intelligent 
and  trustworthy  than  most  Arctic  travelers  are  willing  to  con- 
cede. The  truth  is,  that  they  trusted  and  believed  in  him  more 
than  other  travelers  had  permitted  them  to  do,  and  hence  the 
feeling  of  trust  and  confidence  became  reciprocal.  He  learned  to 
like  the  repulsive  food  they  live  upon ;  fasting,  when  it  was 
scarce,  with  the  sang  froid  of  "one  to  the  manner  born,"  and  rel- 
ishing the  blubber,  when  it  came,  with  the  best  of  them. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  experience  of  Captain  Hall  in  the 


I'KItSKVKUINC  KFFOUTS.  125 

Arctic  regions  jusufied  the  Lopes  of  his  friends  and  the  confi- 
dence of  Government  in  intrusting  him  with  the  command  of  the 
Polaris  expedition,  lie  was  thoroughly  acclimated,  was  well 
known,  and  had  friends  among  the  natives  at  many  stations,  par- 
ticularly on  the  western  bays  and  shores  of  Davis  Strait  and  Baf- 
fin Bay  ;  having  lived  with  them  in  their  "  igloos,"  or  snow  huts, 
in  winter,  travt-led  with  tliem  on  their  dog-sledges,  shared  their 
summer  tents,  and  used,  when  necessary,  their  "oomiaks,"  or 
family  boats.     In  the  "  Innuit  land  he  did  as  the  Innuits  did." 

After  his  return,  in  September,  1869,  until  the  spring  of  1871, 
Captain  llaL'  was  indefatigable  in  his  endeavors  to  enlist  public 
sympathy,  and  Congressional  and  other  aid,  for  his  new  enter- 
prise. In  his  previous  voyages  private  parties  had  furnished,  by 
subscription  and  donations,  both  vessels  and  outfit ;  but  now  the 
national  aid  was  to  be  secured,  the  sympathy  of  the  Government' 
enlisted.  IJ'therto  the  United  States  had  not  officially  done 
much  in  the  way  of  Arctic  explorations.  When  the  liberality 
of  Mr.  Henry  Grinnell  had  presented  two  vessels  ready  furnished 
for  an  Arctic  voyage,  the  Navy  Department  ordered  to  the  com- 
mand Lieutenants  De  Haven  and  Griffith,  to  officer  the  Advance 
and  Bescne.  The  second,  under  the  auspices  of  the  United  States, 
and  this  wholly  at  the  national  expense,  was  the  relief  searching 
expedition  under  Lieutenant  Ilartstene,  who  went  to  the  aid  of 
Dr.  Kane,  and  brought  him  back.  The  third  is  that  which  we 
have  under  consideration.  Others  wholly  American,  though  un- 
aided by  the  National  Government,  will  be  found  recorded  else- 
where. The  Polaris  expedition  may  truly  be  described  as  Captain 
Hall's,  in  its  inception  as  well  as  execution ;  fo;,  though  the  ex- 
pense was  borne  wholly  by  the  L^nited  State?,  and  its  late  com- 
mander was  most  faithfully  assisted  by  devoted  and  energetic 
friends,  yet  had  it  not  been  for  the  untiring  perseverance  with 
which  the  late  commander  of  the  Polaris  canvassed  the  country., 
lecturing,  writing,  and  by  personal  interviews  with  intelligent  men 
of  all  classes  who  could  by  any  possibility  bring  influence  to  bear 
in  forwarding  his  plans,  the  expedition  would  never  have  sailed. 

To  those  who  saw  him  in  Washington  during  the  winter  of 
1869-70,  he  appeared  like  the  embodiment  of  a  single  idea,  and 
that  idea  was  how  to  get  aid  for  his  projected  Polar  expedition. 
Here,  fortunately,  as  in  all  large  cities,  there  are  always  found 
men  of  brains  and  comprehensive  intellecti^,  to  whom  appeals  of 


126  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

this  nature  come  with  the  certainty  of  a  sympathetic  response. 
It  is  not  always  so  in  country  places.  Great  men  may  be  born  in 
the  rural  districts,  but  they  are  almost  certain  to  gravitate  to  cities. 

Among  those  most  ready  to  listen  to  the  Arctic  enthusiast — 
for  such  Captain  Hall  was,  nor  did  he  take  any  pains  to  conceal 
the  fact — were  such  men  as  Senator  Sumner,  of  Massachusetts ; 
Sherman,  of  Ohio;  Fenton,  of  New  York;  and  others  of  that 
stamp,  some  of  whom  we  may  have  occasion  to  refer  to  hereafter. 
The  I*resident,  also,  was  personally  interested  in  the  project,  and 
favorable  to  it;  but  though  Senators  and  Representatives  may 
feel  great  sympathy  with  many  appeals  and  plans  which  come 
before  them,  they  do  not  always  consider  themselves  at  perfect 
liberty  to  vote  appropriations  of  the  public  money  for  carrying 
them  out.  A  certain  respect  is  usually  paid  to  the  supposed 
wishes  and  opinions  of  constituents.  Hence  it  was  no  light  task 
for  Captain  Hall  and  his  immediate  coadjutors  to  secure  the  vote 
of  $50,000,  which  was  finally  granted  by  Congress  for  the  outfit 
of  the  expedition. 

A  few  days  previous  to  the  sailing  of  the  Polaris  expedition, 
the  "American  Geographical  Society  "  of  New  York  tendered  a 
public  reception  to  Captain  Hall  and  his  officers.  On  this  occa- 
sion Mr.  Henry  Grinnell  presented  to  Captain  Hall  the  historic- 
al flag  which,  in  1838,  Lieutenant  Wilkes,  of  the  United  States 
Navy,  had  borne  nearer  to  the  South  Pole  than  any  American 
flag  had  ever  been  before.  This  flag  had  also  gathered  interest 
in  every  fold  by  subsequently  being  carried  by  Lieutenant  De 
Haven  to  a  higher  northern  latitude  than  any  flag  had  ever  been; 
next  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Dr.  Kane,  who  bore  it,  still  on- 
ward and  upward,  beyond  l)c  Haven'r,  highest ;  and  then  Dr.  L 
L  Haye.s,  *"mid  snow  and  ic?,  '  mentally,  if  not  vocally,  shouting 
"  Excelsior,"  pitched  it  thirty-'.?'  :n  miles  nearer  the  pole  than 
lis  lamented  predecessor  had  t'ttiined.  It  was  again  exhibited  at 
the  "  reception  given  by  the  Geogiaphical  Society  of  New  York  to 
the  officers  and  crew  of  the  Polaris''^  on  the  eve  of  Feb.  16, 1874. 

Captain  Hall,  in  accepting  this  already  glorified  bunting,  said  he 
"believed  that  this  flag,  in  the  spring  of  1872,  would  float  over 
a  new  world,  in  which  the  North  Pole  star  is  its  crowning  jewel." 
In  continuing  his  remarks,  he  declared  that  he  did  not  expect 
during  the  first  winter  to  reach  above  80°  N.,  and  from  thence  in 
the  spring  to  make  sledge-journeys  toward  the  pole. 


HALL'S  ADVENTUROUS  SPIRIT,  127 

Anticipating  the  criticism  which  some  astronomers  have  made, 
"  that  he  would  not  know  when  he  got  to  the  pole,  even  if  he 
should  really  reach  it,"  Captain  Hall  remarked:  "On  reaching 
that  point  called  the  North  Pole,  the  north  star  will  be  directly 
overhead.  Without  an  instrument,  with  merely  the  eye,  a  man 
can  define  his  position  when  there.  Some  astronomers  tell  me  I 
will  find  a  difficulty  in  determining  my  position.  It  will  be  the 
easiest  thing  in  the  world.  Suppose  I  arrive  at  the  North  Pole, 
and  the  sun  has  descended.  Suppose  there  is  an  island  at  the 
North  Pole ;  around  it  is  the  sea.  I  see  a  star  upon  the  horizon. 
If  I  were  to  remain  a  thousand  years  at  the  pole,  that  star  will 
remain  on  the  horizon  without  varying  one  iota  in  height.  Then, 
again,  when  I  am  at  the  pole,  on  the  23d  of  June  I  take  the  lat- 
itude of  the  sun  ;  just  23^°  high  at  one,  and  all  hours.  Five  days 
before  the  24th  of  June,  and  five  days  after,  with  the  finest  in- 
struments we  have,  you  can  not  determine  one  iota  of  change. 
Therefore  you  will  see  that  it  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to 
determine  when  you  arrive  at  the  North  Pole.  The  phenomena 
displayed  there  will  be  deeply  interesting,  provided  there  is  land 
there;  and  I  am  satisfied,  from  the  traditions  I  have  learned  from 
the  Esquimaux,  that  I  will  find  land  there." 

Had  Hall  reached  the  pole,  it  would  be  safe  to  say  he  would 
have  been  the  happiest  man  alive.  His  enthusiasm  was  bound- 
less; this  was  his  spirit,  as  expressed  in  his  address:  "Many  who 
have  written  to  me,  or  who  have  appeared  to  me  personally,  think 
that  I  am  of  an  adventurous  spirit  and  of  bold  heart  to  attempt 
to  go  to  the  North  Pole.  Not  so.  It  does  not  require  that  heart 
which  they  suppose  I  have  got.  The  Arctic  region  in  my  home. 
I  love  it  dearly — its  storms,  its  winds,  its  glaciers,  its  icebergs  ; 
and  when  I  am  among  them,  it  seems  as  if  I  were  in  an  earthly 
heaven,  or  a  heavenly  earth !" 

It  was  indeed  a  cruel  fate  which  baffled  and  prevented  the  ex- 
ecution of  the  cherished  hopes  of  such  an  exuberant  spirit  as  this. 

CAPTAIN  hall's  PREMONITIONS. 

Captain  Hall  had  made  voluminous  notes  of  his  second  expe- 
dition, 1864-69 ;  but  these  records  have  not  yet  been  published ; 
he  was  too  busy,  during  his  short  stay  at  home,  to  write  them  up, 
being  occupied  the  whole  time  in  securing  the  necessary  influence 
and  means  of  organizing  the  Polaris  expedition.     But  the  man- 


128  '  AKCTK:  EXrEKlENCES. 

uscript  notes  of  his  "Franklin  Search"  journey  he  took  with  him 
on  board  of  the  Polari.s,  intending  to  prepare  them  for  publication ; 
but  some  sad  premonition  of  evil — 

"  A  strange  and  weird  and  phantom-seeming  thing, 
Which  stood  dim  outlined  in  a  sable  sfiroiid, 
Though  shapeless,  as  in  noonday  hangs  a  cloud  " — 

hovered  before  him,  hinting  at  the  insecurity  of  the  fate  which 
might  be  his;  and  he  left  these  valuable  papers  with  the  inspec- 
tor-general of  North  Greenland,  Mr.  Karrup  Smith,  at  Disco. 

A  very  fortunate  providential  monition,  it  would  seem,  as,  had 
he  taken  them  with  him,  they  would  probably  have  gone  down 
in  the  foundered  Polaris.  It  was  that  he  might  have  time  to  pre- 
pare these  records  for  publication  that  he  sought  the  assistance 
of  Mr.  Meyers  in  writing  up  the  journal  of  the  day;  but  as  Mr. 
Meyers  refused  his  aid.  Captain  Hall  foresaw  that  he  must  post- 
pone his  literary  work ;  and  this  was  one  of  the  things  which 
seriously  annoyed  and  troubled  him.  The  account  of  his  last  '11- 
ness  and  death  will  be  found  in  its  appropriate  place  in  Capta.u 
Tyson's  journal,  as  part  of  the  history  of  the  Polaris  expedition,' 

The  last  dispatch  which  Captain  Hall  indited  for  transmission 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  (a  fac-simile  of  a  portion  is  given  be- 
low) was  written  at  lat.  82°  '6'  N.,  at  Cape  Brevoort,  and  a  copy 
of  it  was  placed  in  a  copper  cylinder,  and  left  there,  protected  by 
a  covering  of  stones.     It  will  be  found  entire  in  the  Appendix. 


ej^A 


FAO-BIMILE  OF  OAITAIN  UALL  8   WBITIMO. 


THE  CHIEF  OF  THE  SCIENTIFIC  CORPS. 


129 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Dr,  Emil  Bessel. — Sergeant  Frederick  Meyers. — Mr.  R.  W.  D.  Bryan. — Sidney  O. 
Biiddington. — Hubbard  C.  Chester. — Emil  Schuman. — William  Morton.- -Letter 
of  ("a|)tiiin  Hall's. — The  Polaris  sails. — Disaffection  on  Board. — Meets  the  Swed- 
ish Exploring  Expedition. — Favorable  condition  of  the  Ice. — United  States  Ship 
Congress  arrives  at  Disco  with  Supplies  for  the  Polaris. — Insubordination  on  Board. 
— Captain  Hall's  Idiosyncrasy. — He  "bids  Adieu  to  the  Civilized  World," 

Dr.  Emil  Bessel,  the  chief  of  the  Scientific  Corps,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Germany.  Though  a  comparatively  young  man,  he  had 
already  established  a  reputation  in  his  native  country,    lie  was  a 


nn.   KMIL   IlKHHBT.. 


graduate  of  the  famous  university  of  Heidelberg.     His  researches 
in  zoology  and  entomology  had  brought  him  into  close  friendly 

9 


130 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


SIDNEY   O.  BCVDINOTOIC. 


relations  with  Dr.  August  Peterrnan,  of  Gotha,  who  appointed 
him  as  scientist  on  board  the  Albert,  belonging  to  M.  llosenthal, 
a  walrus-hunter,  which  sailed  in  the  year  1869  to  the  north  of 
Spitzbergen.  lie  was  considered  an  accomplished  surgeon  and 
an  enthusiastic  naturalist,  and  was  also  esteemed  in  every  way  in- 
tellectually fit  for  the  position. 

In  person  he  was  slight,  somewhat  delicately  built,  and  of  quick, 
nervous  temperament.  The  shape  of  the  head  indicated  predomi- 
nant mentality,  while  the  features  were  regular  and  pleasing  in 
their  contour;  hair  and  beard  dark  and  heavy,  with  a  bright, 
dark  eye,  which  was  susceptible  of  very  varied  expression,  com- 
pleted the  tniit  ensemble  of  what  would  pass  for  a  handsome  man, 
built  on  rather  too  small  a  scale. 

Mr.  Frederick  Meyers,  the  meteorologist,  was  a  native  of 
Prussia,  and  a  sergeant  of  the  United  States  Signal  Corps,  estab- 
lished in  Washington.  He  had  received  a  thorough  education, 
and  was  considered  especially  fitted  for  the  position  to  which  he 
was  appointed. 


PERSONNEL  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


131 


HUBUABD  O.  0UE8TBB. 


Mr.  R.  W.  I).  Bryan,  astronomer  and  chaplain  to  the  expedi- 
tion, was  a  young  man  of  very  superior  talents,  a  graduate  of 
Lafayette  College,  in  Easton,  Pennsylvania. 

Sidney  0.  Buddington,  sailing-master,  was  a  native  of  Gro- 
ton,  Connecticut,  and  had  been  captain  of  various  whalers  for 
over  twenty  years.  lie  was  familiar  with  the  perils  of  ice  navi- 
gation, and  was  generally  esteemed  a  capable  navigator. 

IIUBBART)  C.  Chester,  first  mate,  is  a  native  of  Noank,  Con- 
necticut, and  made  a  good  officer. 

Emil  Schuman,  the  chief  engineer,  was  a  German,  regularly 
educated  for  his  profession,  and  a  draughtsman  of  considerable 
skill. 

William  Morton,  second  mate,  has  spent  most  of  his  life  at 
sea,  having  served  thirty  years  in  the  United  States  Navy  as  yeo- 
man, and  having  made  at  least  one  memorable  Arctic  voyage 
with  Kane;  on  which  occasion  he  crossed  the  great  Humboldt 
Glacier  in  company  with  the  native  Hans,  and,  looking  out  upon 
the  waters  since  visited  by  the  Polaris,  thought  he  had  discover- 


132 


ARCTIC  exi'p:riences. 


KMIL  HOMUMAN. 


ed  the  Polar  Sea.  lie  was  an  efficient  helper  of  Kane's ;  and 
though  he  made  his  Arctic  reputation  upon  a  visual  mistake,  in 
that  ho  has  good  company;  nor  does  it  detract  from  his  faithful 
service  to  Kane  and  Hall.  He  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  but  has  re- 
sided for  many  years  in  Jersey  City,  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey. 
Just  before  sailing,  Captain  Hall  addressed  the  following  letter 
to  a  friend  on  whom  he  greatly  relied : 

Left  New  London  Harbor,  4  a.m.  this  day, 
July  3, 1871. 

On  board  the  PnlarU,  now  Btopped  to  let  off  the  pilot. 
This  my  last  letter. 

My  deab  Friend,  —Inclosed  please  find  a  document  that  will  explain  itself.  I 
wish  you  to  see  tlie  Secretary  of  the  Navy  in  person,  and  have  all  done  for  Captain 
Tyson  that  can  be  done.  Try  and  have  a  position  given  him  such  as  will  command 
a  commission.  In  proof  that  Captain  Buddington  is  anxious  to  have  all  done  that 
can  be  for  our  old  friend,  he  will  sign  this  letter  with  me,  which  will  have  an  earnest- 
ness that  can  not  be  better  expressed. 

To  Captain  Tyson  I  have  paid  $ in  advance  out  of  my  own  pocket.  *  *  * 

Government  now  allots  me  f per  month  for  my  family ;  I  ask  if  I  am  to  pay 

Captain  Tyson  for  his  valuable  services.  *  *  * 

I  have  neglected  to  report  to  Governmer.t  that  James  M.  Buddington,  of  Pequan- 


THE  POLARIS  SAILS. 


133 


WILLIAM   MOUTON. 


nock,  New  London,  Conn.,  will  be  ice-pilot  to  the  transport  to  Disco,  Greenland,  for 

f per  month.    Much  more  I  will  soon  write  you,  my  noble  and  attentive  friend ; 

but  now  I  cease  my  incoherent,  hasty  work. 

Do  all  you  can  for  Tyson.  Let  as  good  a  position  as  possible  be  given.  ♦  *  * 
The  ship's  company  is  now  of  the  best  material.  Glorious  is  the  prospect  of  the  fu- 
ture. C.  F.  Hall.* 

The  Polaris  left  New  London  at  4  p.m.,  on  the  3d  of  July,  and 
proceeded  without  especial  incident,  except  a  severe  storm,  which 
occurred  on  the  evening  of  the  3d,  to  St.  Johns. 

Mr.  Noble,  one  of  the  companions  of  the  artist  Bradford,  when 
he  went  "  after  icebergs,"  made  the  remark  that  "  there  was  stu- 
pidity somewhere,"  because  the  beauties  of  St.  Johns  harbor  and 
vicinity  had  not  been  written  up  by  summer  tourists;  and  the 
same  feeling  occurs  to  all  who  have  an  eye  for  natural  beauties 
who  visit  Newfoundland  for  the  first  time. 

The  harbor  is  completely  land-locked,  and  is  about  a  mile  long, 
and  half  that  distance  in  width,  and  is  entered  through  a  narrow 


Captain  Buddington's  signature  is  not  attached  to  the  letter. 


134  ARCTIC  EXl'ERIENCES. 

channel  flanked  with  high  rocks,  picturesque  in  the  extreme. 
Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  "  west  end"  is  the  fjishionable  part  of  the 
town,  which  is  terraced  along  the  hill-side,  showing  its  whole  ex- 
tent to  the  approaching  visitor ;  while  the  east  side  is  devoted  to 
business,  and  that  business  principally  the  storage  of  oil,  in  bright 
red  warehouses. 

Wliile  lying  in  th'>  pleasant  port,  a  point  of  discussion  arose 
as  to  the  authority  of  the  commander  over  the  Scientific  Corps. 
Strong  feeling  was  mutually  exhibited,  which  extended  to  the 
officers,  and  even  the  crew,  among  whom  was  developed  an  un- 
mistakable feeling  of  special  affinity  on  the  score  of  national  af- 
filiation. At  this  point  it  really  appeared  as  if  the  foreign  ele- 
ment were  far  more  in  sympathy  with  each  other,  as  fellow-coun- 
trymen, thar  they  were  with  furthering  the  hopes  of  Captam 
Hall,  and  the  main  object  of  the  expedition.  However,  matters 
were  smoothed  over ;  the  Scientific  Corps  were  left  free  to  follow 
their  own  course,  and  the  threatened  disruption  of  the  party 
avoided. 

The  vessel  laid  at  St.  Johns  for  a  week,  some  repairs  being 
found  necessary  for  her  machinery.  Effi^rts  were  also  made  to 
secure  a  carpenter,  but  without  success;  and  Captain  Hall  no- 
tified the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  that  he  should  leave  without 
one,  deeming  longer  delny  inexpedient. 

Touching  first  at  Fiscanaes,  and  then  at  Holsteinborg,  Green- 
land, Captain  Hall  was  agreeably  surprised  to  meet  at  the  latter 
port  the  Swedish  Arctic  exploring  expedition,  consisting  of  a 
brig  and  steamer,  under  commander  Frederick  W.  Von  Otter. 
This  expedition  had  been  up  as  far  as  Upernavik,  but  was  now 
homeward  bound,  and  the  commander  kindly  offered  to  take  and 
forward  dispatches  for  Captain  Hall. 

Commodore  Von  Otter  reported  the  navigation  in  Baffin  Bay 
to  be  exceedingly  favorable,  he  having  seen  no  ice,  except  occa- 
sional bergs,  between  Disco  and  Upernavik.  He  also  furnished 
Captain  Hall  with  a  tabular  statement  of  the  results  of  some 
thirty  deep-sea  soundings  and  sea  temperatures,  obtained  on 
board  H.  S,  M.  steamship  Inge/jera  between  Holsteinborg  and 
Upernavik  (for  which  see  Appendix,  p,  457),  with  other  pleas- 
ant courtesies,  di^iy  acknowledged  and  thoroughly  appreciated 
by  the  commander  of  the  Polaris. 

The  favorable  reports  of  the  Swedish  expedition  inspired  Cap- 


KINDNESS  OF  GOVERNOli  ELBERG.  135 

tain  Hall  with  new  hopes  and  increased  enthusiasm,  as  the  pros- 
pect of  making  good  progress  northward  during  the  present  sea- 
son was  thus  confirmed.  Governor  Elberg,  of  the  Holsteinborg 
district,  also  very  kindly  offered  to  aid  the  purposes  of  the  ex- 
pedition in  any  way  that  he  could.  Hall  and  he  had  met  before, 
and  they  now  greeted  each  other  as  old  friends. 

There  were  two  objects  in  putting  into  Holsteinborg;  one  was 
to  get  a  supply  of  coal,  and  the  other,  a  stock  of  reindeer  furs,  to 
make  up  into  winter  garments ;  but  neither  of  these  could  be 
obtained.  The  supply  of  coal  on  hand  was  only  fifteen  tons ; 
and  though  the  governor  generously  offered  to  let  Captain  Hall 
have  two-thirds  of  it,  yet  the  latter  very  properly  declined  to 
strip  the  settlement,  and  concluded  to  await  the  tender  which  he 
knew  was  to  bring  a  supply,  and  for  which  he  was  now  every 
day  hopefully  looking.  No  reindeer  skins  could  be  had  either, 
for  the  reason  that  none  of  these  animals  had  recently  been  ob- 
tained. The  deer  formerly  visited  that  part  of  Greenland  in 
large  herds,  but  of  late  years  they  had  totally  disappeared ;  and 
hence  no  skins  could  be  found  for  sale. 

The  Polaris  lay  at  Holsteinborg  until  the  3d  of  August,  await- 
ing the  tender  Congress,  and  then  sailed  for  Disco,  reaching  the 
harbor  of  Goodhavn  on  the  afternoon  of  the  4th,  twenty-four 
hours'  sailing-time. 

On  inquiry  it  was  found  that  the  inspector  of  the  district,  Mr. 
Karrup  Smith,  was  away  on  his  annual  tour  through  the  district, 
and  might  probably  not  return  for  two  or  three  weeks;  and 
though  his  lieutenant  was  very  cordial  and  kindly  disposed,  he 
hesitated  to  assume  the  necessary  responsibility.  In  this  dilem- 
ma, the  wife  of  the  inspector,  Mrs.  Smith,  came  to  the  rescue; 
and  expressing  herself  warmly  in  behalf  of  the  expedition,  and 
the  propriety  of  the  Danish  officials  doing  all  in  their  power  to 
assist  the  party  from  the  "great  and  glorious  country  of  the 
United  States,"  she  suggested  that  a  boat-party  be  sent  off  to 
seek  the  inspector  and  request  his  return  to  Goodhavn.  Captain 
Hall  promptly  adopted  the  advice,  and  detailed  his  chief  mate, 
H.  C.  Chester,  for  the  duty. 

After  a  search  up  and  down  the  coast,  involving  a  distance  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles,  almost  entirely  by  oars,  Mr. 
Chester  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  the  object  of  his  inquiry  at 
Eittenbek,  a  station  to  the  north  of  Disco,  and  the  inspector,  in- 


136  ARCTIC  EX1'EUIP:NCES. 

stantly  acceding  to  the  request,  returned  with  his  boat,  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Chester,  on  the  11th  instant.  During  the  absence 
of  the  boat,  however,  the  United  States  steamer  Congress,  Cap- 
tain Daven{)ort,  had  arrived  at  Disco  (August  10),  and  thus  re- 
lieved Captain  Hall  of  a  "  mountain-load  of  anxiety,"  and  mak- 
ing the  presence  of  Mr.  Smith  less  necessary,  though  no  less 
agreeable.  It  was,  however,  desirable  to  have  his  sanction  for 
the  use  of  the  Government  store-house,  as  a  depot  for  the  extra 
supplies  brought  out  by  the  Congress,  for  the  future  use  of  the 
expedition ;  and  this  was  readily  granted  by  Mr,  Smith,  who  also 
engaged  to  have  the  stores  carefully  preserved  till  called  for,  and 
this  gratuitously.  The  Polaris  was  here  replenished  with  all  the 
extra  stores  and  coal  which  she  could  carry,  and  the  balance 
was  placed  in  the  offered  store -house  belonging  to  the  Danish 
Government. 

Besides  the  stores  and  dispatches,  the  Congress  had  also  brought 
out  Captain  Tyson's  commission  as  assistant  navigator  to  the 
expedition,  and  he  was  henceforth  a  regularly  enrolled  officer. 
Captain  Hall  still  wanted  two  men  to  thoroughly  complete  his 
Arctic  party.  Of  these,  one  was  a  resident  Dane,  named  Jansen, 
and  enjoying  the  grand  title  of  "governor"  at  Tossac,  and  the 
other  a  native  Esquimau,  Hans  Christian.  Both  of  these  had 
been  attached  to  Arctic  exploring  expeditions  before,  with  Drs. 
Kane  and  Hayes,  and  it  was  naturally  thought  that  their  knowl- 
edge and  experience  of  Arctic  resources  would  add  to  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  expedition,  especially  as  Hans  was  reputed  a  good 
hunter  and  dog-driver.  The  last  accomplishment  is  not  easily 
lear.ied,  while  at  the  same  time  it  is  essential  to  the  success  of 
sledge-traveling.  In  addition  to  these,  there  were  still  dogs  and 
furs  to  be  obtained.  Jansen  was  to  be  found  at  Tossac,  and  Hans 
at  Proven,  a  little  to  the  south  of  the  former. 

Leaving  Goodhavn  on  the  17th  of  August,  where  also  the 
Polaris  parted  with  the  Congress,  the  former  made  all  sail  for 
Upernavik,  which  was  reached  on  the  18th;  thus  making  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  in  little  more  than  thirty-three 
hours. 

While  lying  at  Goodhavn,  it  leaked  out  that  furtive  raids  had 
been  made  on  the  liquors  and  other  stores  by  unauthorized  par- 
ties, and  for  a  while  it  seemed  that  an  open  quarrel  would  be  the 
outcome  of  the  discovery.    But  Captain  Hall's  patience  and  for- 


DISSENSIONS  ON  BOARD  THE  POLARIS.  187 

bearance  were  equal  to  the  emergency,  and  the  misdemeanor  was 
condoned. 

Ilere  he  had  hoped  to  meet  Dr.  Rudolph,  the  late  Governor  of 
Upornavik,  who  had  been  thirty  years  in  Greenland,  but  who 
wa.s  now  expecting  to  return  on  a  visit  to  his  native  place — Den- 
mark— and  by  whom  he  expected  to  be  able  to  send  to  the 
United  States  his  latest  dispatches. 

Doctor,  or  now  ex-Governor,  Rudolph — for  his  successor,  Mr. 
Elberg  (son  of  the  Governor  of  Ilolsteinborg),  had  arrived — imme- 
diately offered  every  facility  within  his  power  to  aid  Captain  Hall, 
lie  sent  two  men  in  kyacks  —  small  native  boats — one  to  find 
Janscn,  and  the  other  to  find  Hans.  The  former  was  unsuccess- 
ful, as  Jansen  declined  to  come ;  but  Hans,  who  was  at  .Proven, 
fifty  miles  to  the  south  of  Upernavik,  was  secured.  A  boat  from 
the  ship  had  to  be  sent  for  Hans,  and,  under  the  pilotage  of  Mr. 
Chester,  he  made  the  Polaris  on  the  20th  of  August.  Mr.  Ches- 
ter made  this  trip  of  a  hundred  miles,  rowing,  between  noon  of 
August  19th  and  eight  p.m.  of  the  20th. 

Captain  Hall  appears  to  have  had  very  decided  premonitions 
of  disaster,  from  the  fact  that  he  left  here  in  charge  of  Inspector 
Smith  a  quantity  of  valu.ible  papers  relating  to  his  second  expe- 
dition, and  particularly  to  his  search  for  Sir  John  Franklin — an 
extraordinary  step  to  take  under  the  circumstances,  as  his  object 
in  taking  them  with  him  was  to  write  them  up  for  publication  on 
his  return. 

Why  Captain  Hall  studiously  avoided  all  allusion  to  the  dis- 
sensions on  board — why  he  even  compliments  the  "  material"  of 
the  expedition,  when  he  was  all  the  while  suffering  from  inso- 
lence and  disaffection — can  only  be  explained  by  his  idiosyncrasy, 
which  enabled  him  to  sink  evenj  thing  else  in  the  one  idea  of  pushing 
on  to  the  far  north.  He  dreaded  nothing  so  much  as  being  de- 
layed, or  compelled  to  return.  He  was  willing  to  die,  but  not  to 
abandon  the  expedition.  Not  being  able  to  get  deer-skins  as  he 
expected.  Captain  Hall  procured  supplies  of  seal  and  dog  skins 
for  extra  clothing,  which  answers  nearly  or  quite  as  well,  except 
for  boots. 

The  last  dispatch  from  Greenland  received  by  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy  from  Captain  Hall  was  dated  at  Tossac,  and  forwarded, 
through  the  courtesy  of  the  Danish  governor,  by  a  vessel  bound 
to  Copenhagen.    It  was,  however,  too  late  for  that  year.     The 


138 


arctic;  expekien'ces. 


communication  with  Denmark  is  by  an  annual  visit  of  a  ship  in 
the  curly  suinnier,  which  remains  on  the  Greenland  coa.st  for  a 
few  weeks  only,  touching  at  diftercnt  settlements,  and  then  return- 
ing. When  the  following  dispatch  was  written  the  vessel  had 
sailed ;  and  there  being  no  other  means  of  sending  it,  a  whole 
year  elapsed  before  it  could  be  forwarded,  which  was  done  on  the 
next  annual  visit  of  the  Danish  ship.     It  was  not  received  in 


rPBENAVIK. 


Washington  until  August  of  1872,  at  which  time  Captain  Hall 
had  been  nine  months  in  his  solitary  Polar  grave.  The  follow- 
ing is  the  dispatch : 

Position  by  my  observation,  lat.  73°  21'  00 "  N.  ;  long.  56'  5'  45"  W.— Hall. 

Urlted  States  Steamship  Polaris,  Tossac  (or  Tes-BU-l-sak), 
Greenland,  August  22, 1871. 

Sir, — I  have  the  honor  to  report  my  proceedings  since  the  date  August  20  and  21, 
of  my  last  communication  written  at  Upernavik. 

It  was  8.30  P.M.  of  August  21,  when  we  left  the  harbor  of  Upernavik,  having  on 
board  Governor  Elberg,  of  whom  I  made  previous  mention,  and  several  of  his  people, 


DISrATC'II  TO  THE  SECRETAHY  OF  THE  NAVY.  189 

kiound  for  this  jilace  o-i  a  visit.  After  Hteaining  twelve  miles  to  the  northward  and 
westward,  we  hauled  up  in  front  of  a  small  island  settlement,  called  KinK-i-toke, 
where  Governor  Elt)erg  and  myself,  with  a  boat's  crew,  went  aahoro  to  purchase 
dogs,  furs,  and  other  reiiuisites  f»jr  the  expedition. 

Not  a  little  was  I  clmgrined,  at  this  place,  to  find  the  resident  governor  perfectly 
immovable  in  his  purpose  not  to(orn|»iy  v  itii  my  tlesire  to  purchase  some  of  his  dogs, 
although  he  had  many  of  the  best  sledge  and  seal  dogs  I  had  ever  seen.  All  my  ef- 
forts in  liberal  otlers  and  otherwise,  combined  witli  the  persuasive  language  of  (iov- 
emor  Elberg,  failed  to  induce  the  honorable  otKcial  of  King-i-toke  to  sell  even  a 
single  one  of  his  tine  dogs.  However,  I  was  able,  after  considerable  difficulty,  to 
get  from  his  people  eleven  dogs,  to  add  to  the  number  already  possessed  by  the 
Polaris, 

Having  spent  two  hours  at  Kiiig-i-toke,  we  retunied  aboard,  and  at  once  (1  a.m. 
of  August  22),  resumed  our  voyage  for  Tossac,  threading  our  way,  by  the  aid  of  good 
native  pilots,  among  the  numerous  reefs,  rocks,  and  islands:  with  which  Upernavik 
and  vicinity  abound.  At  'i.'M)  a.m.  of  fhe  22d  we  arrived  at  Tossac,  hit.  T.i^  21'  18" 
N.,  long,  ftti"  W.  At  once  I  called  on  Jansen,  and,  to  my  astonishment  and  disap- 
pointment, found  that  a  mistake  had  been  made  in  any  one  of  us  expecting  that  his 
consent  had  been,  or  could  be,  obtained  to  leave  his  home  at  the  present  time ;  *  *  * 
but  at  the  same  time  he  has  the  desire  to  do  all  he  can  in  supplying  the  expedition 
with  dogs,  furs,  etc.  This  desire,  however,  I  find  to  be  combined  with  a  face  of 
brass,  for  he  charges  unheard-of  prices  for  his  dogs,  and  will  not  deviate  a  hair,  know- 
ing as  he  does,  and  as  I  do,  that  this  is  the  last  jilace,  and  the  only  j)lace,  I  can  now 
depend  upon  with  any  hope  of  getting  the  supply  to  make  up  the  number  needed  for 
our  expedition. 

By  tlie  consent  and  co-operation  of  the  Government  authorities  of  Denmark  res- 
ident in  Greenland,  I  have  concluded  to  contract  with  Hans  Christian,  by  which  he 
enters  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  North  I'ole  Expedition,  as  dog-driver, 
hunter,  and  servant,  at  a  salary  of  l|;i(JU  per  annum.  *  *  *  His  wife  and  three  chil- 
dren are  to  accompany  Hans. 

The  prospects  of  the  expedition  are  fine;  the  weather  beautiful,  clear,  and  ex- 
ceptionally warm.  Every  jireparation  has  been  made  to  bid  farewell  to  civilization 
for  several  ye.  rs,  if  need  be,  to  accomplish  our  purpose.  Our  coal-bunkers  are  not 
only  full,  but  we  have  full  ten  tons  yet  on  deck,  besides  wood,  planks,  and  rosin  in 
considerable  quantities,  that  can  be  used  for  steaming  purposes  in  any  emergency. 
Never  was  an  Arctic  expedition  more  completely  fitted  out  than  this. 

The  progress  of  the  Polaris  so  far  has  been  (juite  favorable,  making  exceedingly 
good  passages  from  port  to  port.  *  *  *  The  actual  steaming  or  sailing  time  of  the 
Polaris  from  Washington  to  New  York  was  sixty  hours ;  and  from  the  latter  place 
to  this,  the  most  northern  civilization  settlement  of  the  world,  unless  there  be  one  for 
us  to  discover  at  or  near  the  North  Pole,  has  been  twenty  days,  seven  hours,  and  thirty 
minutes.  Had  I  known,  on  leaving  New  York,  that  the  United  States  transport 
would  be  at  Goodhavn,  Greenland,  as  soon  as  the  Polaris  could  reach  that  port,  the 
Polaris  Viould  have  been  here  in  advance  of  the  present  time  just  eighteen  days;  but 
there  is  no  cause  of  any  regret— indeed,  thi./e  is  every  reason  to  rejoice  that  ever}- 
thing  pertaining  to  the  expedition,  under  the  rulings  of  high  Heaven,  is  in  a  far  more 
prosperous  and  substantially  successful  condition  than  ever  I  have  hoped  or  prayed 
for.  Every  effort  we  are  making  to  get  ready  to  leave  here  to-morrow.  I  will  at 
the  latest  moment  resume  my  place  in  continuing  this  communicatioo. 


140  AllCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

Evening,  August  23, 1872. 
We  did  not  get  under  way  to-day  as  expected,  because  a  heavy,  ilaik  foj^  lius  prevail- 
ed all  day,  and  the  Hume  now  continues.  The  venture  of  steaming  out  into  a  sea  of 
undefined  reefs  and  sunken  rocks,  under  tlie  present  circumstances,  could  not  be 
undertaken.  The  full  number  of  dogs  (sixty)  required  for  the  expedition  is  now  made 
up.  At  the  several  ports  of  Greenland  where  we  stopped  we  have  been  successful  in 
obtaining  proper  food  for  the  dogs. 

AuRust  24, 1  r.M. 

Th((  fog  still  continues,  and  I  decide  we  can  not  wait  longer  for  its  dispersion,  for 
a  longer  delay  will  make  it  doubtful  of  the  expedition  securing  the  very  high  latitude 
I  desire  to  obtain  before  entering  into  wiiiter-(juarters.  A  good  pilot  has  ottered  to 
do  his  very  best  in  conducting  the  Polaris  outside  of  the  most  imminent  danger  of 
the  reefs  and  rocks.  *  *  * 

November,  1.30  p.m. 

The  anchor  of  the  Polaris  has  just  been  weighed,  and  not  again  will  it  go  down 
till,  as  I  trust  and  pray,  a  higher,  a  far  higher,  latitude  has  been  attained  than  ever 
before  by  civilized  man.  Governor  KIberg  is  about  accompanying  us  out  of  the  har- 
bor and  seaward.  He  leaves  us  when  the  pilot  does.  Governor  Lowertz  Elberg 
has  rendered  to  this  expedition  much  ser\ice,  and  long  will  I  remember  him  for  his 
great  kindness.  I  am  sure  you  and  my  country  will  fully  ai)preciate  the  hospitality 
and  co-operation  of  the  Danish  officials  in  Greenland  us  relating  to  our  North  I'olar 
expedition. 

November,  2.16  P.M. 
The  Polaris  bids  adieu  to  the  civilized  world. 

Governor  KIberg  leaves  us,  promising  to  take  these  dispatches  back  to  Upernavik, 
to  send  them  to  our  minister  at  ('openhagen  by  the  next  ship,  which  opportunity  may 
not  be  till  next  year.     God  bo  with  us.     Yours  ever, 

C.  F.  Hall. 
Hon.  Geo.  M.  RoiiisBOfi,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Waehington,  D.C. 

As  we  thus  bid  farewell  to  Captain  Ilall,  as  he  sails,  with  his 
bright  hopes  clouded  by  insubordination,  but  with  a  brave,  un- 
daunted heart,  northward  to  unknown  seas,  we  drop  the  general 
narrative,  and  now  take  up  Captain  Tyson's  notes  of  events  as 
they  occurred,  going  back  a  few  days  to  recover  some  details  of 
interest  occurring  between  New  York  and  the  Greenland  port. 


CAPTMN  TYSON'S  SOLILOQUY,  141 


CHAPTER  VII. 

NOTES  BY  CAPTAIN  TYSON  ON  BOARD  THE   POLARIS. 

Captain  Tyson's  Solilociiiy  on  leaving  Harbor.— A  Thunder-storm.— Arrive  at  St. 
Johns.— Icebergs  in  Sight. — Religious  Services  on  board  the  Polaris  by  Dr.  New- 
man, of  Washington.  — Prayer  at  Sea. — Esquimau  Hans,  with  Wife,  Children, 
and  "Vermin."  taken  on  board,- Firing  at  Walrus,— The  Sailing-master  wants  to 
stop  at  i'ort  Foulk. — The  Polaris  \nisseH  Kane's  Winter-quarters.- An  impassable 
Barrier  of  Ice,— Misleading  Charts.— The  open  Polar  Sea  recedes  from  Sight,— 
Afraid  of  "Symme's  Hole:'— Polaris  enters  Robeson  Channel.— Surrounded  by 
Icefields.- CJouncil  of  Ofticers.— Puerile  Fears.— Sir  Edward  Belcher.— The  Ameri- 
can Flag  raised  on  "Hall  Land."— Seeking  a  Harbor.— Repulse  Harbor.— Thank 
God  Harbor,— Providence  Berg,— Housing  the  Ship  for  Winter-quarters. 

*^Jutte  29,  1871.  As  we  left  the  Navy  Yard  and  steamed  to- 
ward the  Sound,  the  vision  of  friendly  faces  from  which  I  had 
just  parted  seemed  to  follow  me  with  an  intensity  I  have  not 
always  had  time  to  realize.  When  acting  as  master  the  thoughts 
must  be  quickly  withdrawn  from  all  on  shore,  and  concentrated 
on  the  business  of  the  ship.  But  for  once  I  find  myself  sailing 
without  a  designated  position  and  toward  unknown  seas,  and 
with  leisure  to  think  of  the  past  and  to  anticipate  the  future. 
To  observe  others,  instead  of  commanding  them,  is  a  new  sen- 
.sation  on  leaving  port,  and  I  gave  myself  up  to  the  novel  em- 
ployment. 

"As  we  passed  through  the  East  River,  with  the  great  city  of 
a  million  souls  on  my  left,  and  half  a  million  on  the  right,  I  could 
not  help  thinking  how  few  of  all  these  took  any  interest  in  our 
peculiar  mission ;  and  of  those  who  knew  of  the  outfit  of  the 
Polaris,  the  majority,  no  doubt,  thought  we  were  wild  and  reck- 
less men,  willfully  going  to  our  own  destruction.  But  some  there 
were  who  bade  us  God-speed— some  large  souls  who  could  look 
through  the  danger  to  the  honor,  and  who  sympathized  with  that 
mysterious  attraction  which  ever  draws  us  on  to  seek  the  un- 
known. I  hope  this  expedition  will  repay  the  cost  and  trouble 
of  its  getting  up. 

"  On  we  sail — the  sunset  behind  us,  the  bright  summer  night 


142  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

beckoning  us  to  the  familiar  waters  of  Long  Island  Sound.  Ilell 
Gate  is  passed,  and  all  looks  well  for  a  good  night. 

"e/wne  30.  At  11  A.M.  dropped  anchor  in  New  London  harbor 
— so  recently  my  home.  Some  of  my  old  friends  here  will  think 
I  have  started  on  a  wild-goose  chase.  But  as  to  that  all  depends 
on  good  management.  If  we  have  that,  I  think  we  can  get  farther 
north  than  any  one  has  been  yet.  In  the  evening  some  members 
of  the  Baptist  congregation  came  on  board,  and  a  religious  service 
was  held.  I  have  heard  that  Captain  Ilall  always  favored  the 
cultivation  of  a  religious  sentiment  among  his  ship's  company. 

'^We  remained  at  New  London  until  Monday,  July  8.  When 
we  left  it  was  fine  weather,  but  the  next  day  we  were  surrounded 
with  fog,  which  continued  for  three  days.  On  the  evening  of  the 
3d,  during  the  first  watch,  a  great  change  came  over  the  sky; 
dark  clouds,  changing  every  moment  to  a  deeper  blackness,  were 
massed  above  the  horizon  to  the  south-west,  and  in  almost  less 
time  than  it  takes  to  describe  it  the  entire  sky  was  covered  as 
with  a  pall;  a  sudden  rain-squall,  with  violent  thunder  and  brill- 
iant lightning,  quickly  succeeded  each  other.  The  lightning 
seemed  almost  continuous,  so  incessant  were  the  flashes.  The 
very  firmament  was  in  a  blaze  from  horizon  to  zenith,  while 
peal  after  peal  of  deep  reverberating  thunder  echoed  and  re- 
echoed across  the  sky  like  the  cannonading  of  contending  ar- 
mies. But  the  Polaris,  undisturbed,  moved  serenely  on  her 
way.  The  storm  continued  until  midnight,  and  then  gradu- 
ally subsided. 

"The  9th  being  Sunday,  service  was  held  in  the  cabin,  Cap- 
tain Hall  taking  occasion  to  remark  that  it  was  his  intention, 
whenever  weather  permitted,  to  hold  Sunday  services. 

"  The  next  day  we  sighted  the  coast  of  Newfoundland,  encount- 
ering some  loose  flioating  ice  as  we  approached  St.  Johns.  In  the 
harbor,  which  we  made  on  the  11th,  were  two  good-sized  icebergs. 

"I  see  there  is  not  perfect  harmony  between  Captain  Hall  and 
the  Scientific  Corps,  nor  with  some  others  either.  I  am  afraid 
things  will  not  work  well.  It  is  not  my  business,  but  I  am  sorry 
for  Hall :  he  is  fearfully  embarrassed. 

^'■July  19.  Bade  farewell  to  St.  Johns.  In  the  evening  a  very 
fine  show  of  northern  lights  commenced  about  10  P.M.,  and  con- 
tinued till  past  eleven.  The  sailing-master  talked  of  resigning 
and  going  home,  but  matters  have  been  smoothed  over. 


ICEBERGS  IN  SIGHT. 


143 


"On  the  26th  we  passed  a  heavy  piece  of  ship's  timber;  it 
looked  as  if  it  had  been  a  long  time  in  the  water — a  piece  of 
some  wrecked  whaler,  I  suppose.  If  it  could  speak,  who  knows 
what  a  romance  it  might  have  to  tell?  We  are  now  well  up  to- 
ward Fiscanaes;  ought  to  see  the  coast  to-morrow. 

"  Thursday^  July  27.  Many  icebergs  in  sight;  a  great  many  to 
the  southward,  and  some  to  the  east.  Can  see  the  coast  plainly, 
lat.  63°.  In  the  afternoon,  about  three  o'clock,  a  native  pilot  came 
out  in  his  kyack  from  Fiscanaes  and  boarded  us;  these  fellows 
are  very  daring,  and  risk  themselves  in  their  little,  dancing,  feath- 
er-like boats  far  out  of  sight  of  land. 

"Only  remained  at  Fiscanaes  until  the  29th,  leaving  at  3  A.M., 


'^m^ 


TUB  FI8CANAKB  PILOT. 


not  finding  Hans  here,  as  expected.  Weather  delightful.  A  few 
hours  later  we  passed  Lichtenfels,  a  missionary  station.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  afternoon  the  weather  changed ;  a  fresh  breeze 
sprang  up,  and  it  commenced  to  rain.  A  heavy  gale  of  wind 
from  the  south-west  created  much  sea,  and,  darkness  coming  on, 
it  was  deemed  prudent  to  stop  the  engine,  as  there  was  danger 
of  running  on  bergs  in  the  uncertain  light;  also  shortened  sail. 
The  storm  lasted  about  four  hours. 

^''Juhj  31.  Reached  Ilolsteinborg.  Like  most  of  the  Green- 
land settlements,  this  is  a  small  place.  You  can  stand  on  the  deck 
of  the  PoUiri^  and  count  not  only  all  the  houses,  but  almost  all 
the  people,  for  every  one  that  can  walk  gets  out  to  look  at  a  ves- 


144  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

sel  in  the  harbor.  Captain  Hall  thought  he  might  perhaps  find 
Hans  here,  but  he  was  up  to  the  northward.  Left  Uolsteinborg 
on  the  3d  of  August,  about  2  P.M.,  and  next  morning  sighted 
Disco.  Icebergs  in  plenty  here.  Many  of  them  are  from  one 
hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet  high.  To  those  who  see 
icebergs  for  the  first  time  the  size  seems  to  make  the  greatest  im- 
pression, but  afterward  the  beauty  of  many  of  them  keeps  the  eyes 
fascinated ;  but  to  the  Arctic  sailor  the  permanent  feeling  is — 
look  out !  there  is  danger !  Early  in  the  afternoon  we  received 
a  pilot,  and  at  3  P.M.  of  the  4th  of  August  we  cast  anchor  at 
Goodhavn. 

"  Some  one  has  been  at  the  stores.  Captain  Hall  told  me  he 
would  not  have  any  liquor  on  board;  but  Dr. Bessel  procured  an 
order  for  some  for  medical  purposes,  and  the  "thirsty"  have 
found  out  where  it  is  stowed. 

"  On  Sunday,  August  6,  went  to  church,  which,  considering 
the  size  of  the  place,  was  well  attended  both  by  resident  Danes 
and  Esquimaux.     Here,  I  suppose,  we  shall  wait  for  the  Comjress, 

United  States  store-ship.     Mr. told  me  that  my  commission 

would  be  sent  out  by  her.  After  seeing  what  I  have,  it  would 
suit  me  just  as  well  if  it  did  not  come,  for  then  I  should  have  a 
decent  excuse  to  return  home.  There  is  nothing  I  should  like 
better  than  to  continue  the  voyage  if  all  was  harmonious,  and 
if  each  person  understood  his  place  and  his  proper  duties. 

^'■Aug.  10.  United  States  store-ship  Congress  arrived  from  New 
York  with  provisions  and  coal.  After  storing  the  Polaris  to 
her  utmost  capacity,  the  rest  was  landed  at  Disco,  as  a  depot, 
in  case  the  expedition  should  need  it  hereafter.  Captain  Daven- 
port and  Eev.  Dr.  Newman,  who  came  up  in  the  Congress^  have 
had  their  hands  full  trying  to  straighten  things  out  between  Cap- 
tain Hall  and  the  disaffected.  Some  of  the  party  seem  bound  to 
go  contrary  anyway,  and  if  Hall  wants  a  thing  done,  that  is  just 
what  they  won't  do.  There  are  two  parties  already,  if  not  three, 
aboard.  All  the  foreigners  hang  together,  and  expressions  are 
freely  made  that  Hall  shall  not  get  any  credit  out  of  this  expedi- 
tion. Already  some  have  made  up  their  minds  how  far  they  will 
go,  and  when  they  will  get  home  again — queer  sort  of  explorers 
these ! 

^'■Aiig.  17.  Captain  Hall  has  purchased  a  number  of  dogs  for 
our  sledge -excursions.      The  Rev.  Dr.  Newman,  of  Washington, 


DIVINE  SERVICE  ON  BOAKD  THE  POLARIS.  145 

came  aboard  the  Polaris  and  held  a  service,  using  the  following 
prayer,  one  of  three  which  he  has  written  expressly  for  the  ex- 
pedition : 

PRAYER  AT  SEA. 

"  '  O  God  of  the  Innd  and  of  the  sea,  to  Thee  we  offer  our  humble  prayers.  The 
whole  creation  proclaims  Thy  wisdom,  power,  and  goodness.  The  heavens  declare 
Thy  glory,  and  the  firmament  showeth  Thy  handiwork.  Day  unto  day  uttereth 
speech,  and  night  unto  night  showeth  knowledge.  There  is  no  speech  nor  language 
where  their  voice  is  not  heard.  And  we  thank  Thee  for  the  clearer  and  fuller  reve- 
lation of  Thyself  to  man  in  Thy  precious  Word.  Therein  Thou  hast  revealed  Thy- 
self as  our  Sovereign  and  Judge.  Thy  law  is  perfect,  converting  the  soul.  Thy 
testimony  is  sure,  making  wise  the  simple.  Thy  statutes  are  right,  rejoicing  the 
heart.  Thy  commandment  is  pure,  enlightening  the  eyes.  Thy  fear  is  clear,  endur- 
ing forever.  Thy  judgments  are  true  and  righteous  altogether.  Although  far  from 
home  and  those  who  love  us,  yet  we  are  not  far  from  Thee.  We  are  ever  in  Thy 
adorable  presence ;  we  can  never  withdraw  from  Thy  sight.  If  we  ascend  up  into 
heaven,  Thou  art  there ;  if  we  make  our  bed  in  hell,  behold,  Thou  art  there ;  if  wc 
take  the  wings  of  the  morning  and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea,  even  there 
shall  Thy  right  hand  lead  us,  and  Thy  right  hand  shall  hold  us.  Oh,  help  us  to  be 
ever  conscious  that  Thou  seest  us,  and  knowest  us  altogether.  Though  the  darkness 
may  cove*-  us,  yet  the  night  shall  be  li^^ht  about  us ;  for  the  darkness  and  the  light  are 
both  alike  unto  Thee.  While  on  liie  mighty  deep,  be  Thou  our  Father  and  our 
Friend ;  for  they  who  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,  that  do  business  in  the  great 
waters,  see  the  works  of  the  Lord  and  his  wonders  in  the  deep.  It  is  Thee  who  rais- 
eth  the  stormy  wind  which  lifteth  up  the  wave^;  it  is  Thee  who  niaketh  the  storm  a 
calm,  so  that  the  waves  thereof  are  still. 

"  'Oh,  hear  us  from  Thy  throne  in  glory,  and  in  mercy  pardon  our  sins,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  and  Saviour.  Give  us  noble  thoughts,  pure  emotions,  and 
generous  sympathies  for  each  other,  while  so  far  away  from  all  human  habitations. 
May  we  have  for  each  other  that  charity  that  suffereth  long  and  is  kind,  that  en- 
victh  not,  that  vaunteth  not  itself,  that  is  not  puffed  up,  that  seeketh  not  her  own,  that 
is  not  easily  provoked,  that  thinketh  no  evil,  but  that  beareth  all  things,  hopeth  all 
things,  endureth  all  things ;  that  charity  that  never  faileth. 

"  '  May  it  please  Thee  to  prosper  us  in  our  great  undertaking,  and  may  our  efforts 
at  this  time  be  crowned  with  abundant  success.  Hear  us  for  our  country,  for  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  for  all  who  are  in  authority  over  us.  And  hear 
us  for  our  families,  and  for  all  our  friends  we  have  left  at  home ;  and  at  last  receive 
us  on  high,  for  the  sake  of  the  gi'eat  Redeemer.     Amen.' 

"After  the  service  we  weighed  anchor  and  steamed  out  of  the 
harbor.  The  men  on  board  of  the  Congress  cheered  us  as  we 
went  off,  and  the  most  of  us  returned  it.  The  weather  is  fine, 
but  many  icebergs  are  all  around ;  some  nice  steering  is  required 
to  avoid  running  afoul  of  them, 

"Upernavik,^?^^.  18.  Captain  Hall,  being  disappointed  about 
getting  the  deer-skins  at  Holsteinborg,  has  now  to  try  and  buy 

10 


146  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

dog-skins.  They  make  up  into  very  warm  clothing,  and  are  a 
great  deal  better  protection  against  cold  winds  than  almost  any 
amount  of  our  woolen  clothing.  Civilized  clothing  will  keep  off 
still  cold,  but  it  takes  skins  to  protect  against  the  searching  Arc- 
tic winds. 

"Ilall  now  tells  me  that  Davenport  was  prepared  to  take  one 
party  home  in  irons  for  his  insolence  and  insubordination,  but 
that  another  said  he  would  leave  if  he  did,  and  that  then  all 
the  Germans  of  the  crew  would  leave  too ;  and  that  would  break 
up  the  expedition.  Was  ever  a  commander  so  beset  with  em- 
barrassments, from  which  there  seems  no  way  to  free  himself 
except  by  giving  up  all  for  which  he  has  worked  so  long  and  so 
hopefully  ? 

"p.m.  Mr.  Chester  has  got  back  with  a  nice  load — not  only 
Hans,  but  his  wife  and  three  children,  with  all  his  household 
goods,  and  skins  alive  with  vermin.  Hans,  it  seems,  would  not 
come  without  his  family. 

"Yesterday  several  sections  of  our  'oil  boiler'  were  ordered 
to  be  thrown  overboard;  so,  when  our  coal  gives  out,  we  shall 
be  unable  to  raise  steam. 

"  KiNGiTUK,  Aurj.  21.  We  left  Upernavik  at  8  a.  m.,  and  ar- 
rived at  this  little  settlement  at  11.  I'he  captain  could  not  get 
dogs  enough  at  our  last  port,  and  hopes  to  find  some  here.  The 
Governor  of  Upernavik,  who  came  up  on  the  Polaris^  intending 
to  \fo  as  far  as  Tossac,  accompanied  the  captain  ashore — I  suppose 
to  'nfluence  the  natives  to  sell  their  dogs.  Succeeded  in  getting 
about  a  dozen, 

"ylw/7.  22.  i. rrived  at  Tcssuisak,  or  Tossac;  here  Captain  Hall 
completed  his  "ipply  of  skins  and  dogs — have  got  about  sixty 
altogether;  but  ihe  man  Jansen,  whom  he  hoped  to  get,  would 
not  come.  He  ha  1  grown  too  big ;  he  is  governor  (!),  or  some 
such  thing,  of  this  collection  of  huts.  lie  was  a  good  man  with 
Dr.  Hayes. 

^'Antj.  23.  Can't  get  away  for  the  fog. 

^'■Aufj.  24.  Sailed  to-day.  This  is  the  last  settlement  we  ex- 
pect to  stop  at.  Now  we  may  say  we  are  at  the  entrance  of  our 
work.  Only  a  few  days  more,  and,  if  the  ice  does  not  beset  us, 
we  shall  be  through  Smith  Sound. 

^^Aug.  27,  Evening.  We  have  reached  lat.  78°  51'  N.,  past 
Kane's  winter-quarters.    It  was  on  Thursday,  three  days  ago,  that 


AN  "  IMPASSABLE  BARKIER  OF  ICE."         147 

we  left  Tessuisak.  We  steamed  out  after  dark,  and  almost  ran 
afoul  of  an  iceberg,  and  afterward  encountered  a  great  many  of 
them,  and  also  considerable  ice  ;  but  the  Polaris  worked  through 
very  well.  Yesterday  saw  a  party  of  walruses  on  the  ice  ;  fired  at 
them,  but  they  got  out  of  the  way.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  kill 
a  walrus  with  a  ball  fired  toward  the  front,  unless  the  eye  is  hit. 
The  skull  is  very  thick,  except  on  the  crown  of  the  head,  which 
is  a  difficult  point  to  strike. 

"  The  sailing-master  wants  the  Polaris  to  go  into  Port  Foulke 
and  lie  up  ;  then  he  can  stay  there  and  take  care  of  the  ship,  and 
the  others  can  go  up  north  '.n  sledges  if  they  want  to.  But  I  am 
glad  to  see  that  Hall  perseveres,  and  will  have  his  way  about 
that ;  and  indeed  there  is  nothing  to  hinder. 

"  One  revelation  after  another.  Seeing  Captain  Ilall  very  con- 
stantly writing,  I  asked  him  if  he  was  writing  up  his  Franklin 
search-book,  about  which  he  had  often  talked  to  me.  He  said, 
'  No ;  I  left  all  those  papers  at  Disco !'  I  did  not  like  to  ask  him, 
but  I  looked  '  Why  ?'  A  sort  of  gloom  seemed  to  spread  over 
his  face,  as  if  the  recollection  of  something  with  which  they  were 
associated  made  him  uncomfortable,  and  presently,  without  rais- 
ing his  head,  be  added,  '  I  left  them  there  for  safety.'  I  saw  the 
subject  was  not  pleasant,  and  I  made  no  further  remark ;  but  I 
could  not  help  thinking  it  over. 

"  It  was  about  half-past  three  o'clock  to-day  when  we  came  up 
to  Kane's  winter-quarters  of  1853-55,  and  this  evening  to  the 
point  where  he  abandoned  the  Advance.  But  he  went  much 
higher  by  land. 

"■Ang.2^.  Last  night,  just  before  midnight,  at  which  time  it 
was  my  watch,  Chester  came  down  and  reported  that  an  '  impass- 
able barrier  of  ice'  lay  ahead  of  us.  I  went  up;  found  the  ves- 
sel had  been  slowed  down  ;  met  our  sailing-master,  who  was  in  a 
fearful  state  of  excitement  at  the  thought  of  going  forward.  I 
went  up  aloft,  and  looked  carefully  around.  There  was  a  great 
deal  of  ice  in  sight,  which  was  coming  down  with  a  light  north- 
erly wind.  It  looked  bad ;  but  off  to  the  westward  I  saw  a  dark 
streak  which  looked  like  water,  and  I  believed  it  was ;  went 
down  and  reported  to  Captain  Hall  that  the  ship  could  skirt 
round  the  ice  by  sailing  a  little  to  the  south,  and  then  steering 
west-north-west.  At  this  time  the  sun  set  about  11.  p.m.,  and 
rose  again  by  1  a.m.,  so  that  it  was  nearly  light  all  the  time. 


148  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

''  During  my  watch  I  got  the  vessel  over  to  the  west  side,  and 
found  a  passage  of  open  water  varying  from  one  to  four  miles  in 
width.  During  my  watch  below  we  reached  Cape  Frazier,  in 
latitude  about  80°  N.  The  obstructing  ice  which  we  sailed 
round  to  avoid  was  very  thick — from  ten  to  forty  feet — showing 
that  it  had  been  formed  on  the  shore  plateaus,  or  shoals,  as  no 
such  ice  ever  forms  in  the  open  water. 

"  We  are  now  on  the  west  side  of  the  sound.  It  was  from  about 
here,  I  think,  that  Dr.  Hayes  traveled  with  dog-sledges  up  to  81° 
35'  N.  I  hope  we  shall  get  much  farther.  But  there  is  one,  at 
least,  on  board  who  thinks  we  have  come  too  far  already.  Out 
on  such  cowards,  I  say !  I  keep  aloft  much  of  the  time.  All 
the  points  about  here  are  ivrong  on  the  charts.  Here  Captain 
Ilall  went  ashore  and  coasted  around  a  little  in  the  boat. 

"  Moved  on  again  ;  passed  Carl  Kitter  Bay ;  and  when  we  got 
to  Cape  George  Back  the  ice  led  us  off  to  the  north-east,  and  we 
crossed  Kennedy  Channel,  and  then  over  again  to  Cape  Lieber, 
where  we  brought  up  in  a  fog  about  fifteen  miles  from  land. 
Here  a  copper  cylinder  was  thrown  overboard,  containing  a  rec- 
ord of  our  progress.  We  Lave  now  gained  lat.  81°  35'  N.  CanH 
make  any  tlung  out  of  the  charts.  As  old  Scoresby  says,  '  They 
are  more  of  a  snare  than  a  guide.'  But  we  are  now  at  the  head 
of  Kennedy  Channel,  and  ought  soon  to  see  Kane^s  open  sea  ! 

"Still  sailing  north;  some  trouble  working  through  the  ice. 
Here  should  he  the  open  sea,  but  there  is  land  on  both  sides  of  us! 
To-day  we  have  sailed  into  a  bay  which  Morton  and  Ilans  must 
have  mistaken  for  a  sea ;  this  bay  lies  to  the  eastward,  inclining  to 
south.  Captain  Hall  calls  it  Polaris  Bay.  We  are  not  deceived ; 
we  have  sailed  right  across  it.  It  is  not  surprising  that  Morton 
made  this  mistake  if  it  was  foggy,  for  on  many  days  one  could 
not  see  across  it;  it  is  about  forty -five  miles  wide.  The  land, 
though,  is  plain  enough  to  be  seen,  for  it  is  high,  quite  high  land. 

"  Still  sailing  on.  We  have  now  got  into  a  channel  similar  to 
Kennedy's,  only  wider,  and  must  be  part  of  the  water  mistaken 
for  the  open  sea.  This  channel  is  seventeen  or  eighteen  miles 
wide,  and  obstructed  by  heavy  ice.  I  hope  we  shall  be  able  to 
get  through,  but  it  don't  look  like  it  now.  I  see  some  rueful 
countenances,  I  believe  some  of  them  think  we  are  going  to 
sail  off  the  edge  of  the  world,  or  into  '  Symme's  Hole.'  But  so  far 
we  see  no  worse  than  I  have  seen  scores  of  times  in  Melville  Bay 


PUERILE  FEARS.  149 

— ice.  Captain  Hall  has  called  this  new  channel,  after  the  Hon- 
orable Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Robeson  Channel — a  good  name : 
without  the  good-will  of  Secretary  Robeson  we  should  not  have 
been  here ;  and  if  the  Polaris  should  get  no  farther,  her  keel  has 
plowed  through  waters  never  parted  by  any  ship  before. 

**^?/^.  29.  Surrounded  by  ice-fields,  and  a  thick  fog  has  set- 
tled down  on  us ;  all  last  night  working  through  the  ice,  but  fear 
we  shall  get  no  farther.  Ilave  had  to  fasten  to  a  floe  untii  about 
7.30  P.M.,  when  we  made  a  lead  near  the  eastern  coast,  in  hopes 
to  find  a  harbor  here.  A  second  cylinder  has  been  thrown  over- 
board. Went  ashore  in  the  boat  with  Captain  Hall,  and  exam- 
ined a  bight  inshore  to  see  if  it  would  do  for  a  harbor.  No  pro- 
tection ;  would  not  do.  The  ice  is  pressing  heavily  upon  the  sides 
of  the  Polaris.  The  captain  has  ordered  a  quantity  of  provisions 
to  be  taken  out  and  put  on  the  ice. 

^^Aug.ZO.  Put  the  provisions  aboard  again;  drifting  out  of 
Robeson  Channel  to  the  south-west,  wind  from  the  north-east 
Steamed  in  under  the  land,  and  came  to  anchor  behind  some 
bergs.     It  is  blowing  a  gale. 

"  Sept.  1.  Unshipped  the  propeller  to  save  it  from  injury. 

"  Sept.  2.  Captain  Hall  requested  Captain  Buddington,  Mr. 
Chester,  and  myself  to  come  into  the  cabin ;  wanted  to  consult 
about  attempting  to  proceed  farther  north.  Mr.  Chester  and  I 
wanted  to  go  on  as  far  as  it  was  possible  to  get,  but  the  senior  of- 
ficer was  opposed.  I  could  have  told  that  before.  He  was  very 
set,  and  walked  off  as  if  to  end  the  discussion.  Captain  Hall  fol- 
lowed him,  and  stood  some  time  talking  to  him.  After  a  while 
Captain  Hall  come  toward  us,  and  ordered  us  to  see  to  the  landing 
of  some  provisions.     I  said  nothing  more,  neither  did  Chester. 

"  These  puerile  fears  remind  me  of  Sir  Edward  Belcher's  ex- 
pressions when  discussing  the  possibility  of  M'Clure  and  Collin- 
son  having  ventured  into  the  Polar  Sea  north  of  the  Victoria  Ar- 
chipelago. He  says :  '  If  they  entered  the  Polar  Sea  on  the  range 
of  these  islands,  with  comparatively  open  water  for  one  hundred 
miles,  they  might  drift  to  and  fro  for  years,  or  until  they  experi- 
enced one  of  those  northern  nips  which  would  form  a  mound 
above  them  in  a  few  seconds!  The  more  I  have  seen  of  the 
action  of  the  ice — the  partially  open  water  and  the  deceitful  leads 
into  the  pools— the  more  satisfied  I  am  that  the  man  ivho  once  ven- 
tures off  the  land  is  in  all  probability  sacrificed!'     That  man,  and 


150  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

all  like  him,  ought  to  have  staid  at  home.  The  channel  was  at  that 
very  time  open  to  the  north-east,  and  we  could  have  gone  on, 

^^Eveninrj.  This  afternoon  Captain  Hall  spoke  to  me  again 
about  our  going  north.  Ue  seemed  to  feel  worried.  I  told  him 
that  I  should  gain  nothing  by  it,  but  that  it  would  be  a  great 
credit  to  Jam  to  go  two  or  three  degrees  farther.  He  appears  to 
be  afraid  of  offending  some  one.  I  don't  speak  all  my  mind ;  it 
might  be  misapprehended,  and  mistaken  for  self-interest.  God 
knows  I  care  more  for  the  success  of  the  expedition  than  I  do  for 
myself.  But  I  see  it's  all  up,  and  here  we  stop.  Have  ascer- 
tained that  the  highest  latitude  made  by  the  ship  was,  by  dead 
reckoning,  82°  29';*  but  we  have  drifted  nearly  a  degree  since 
then. 

'"'■Sundaij.  Our  usual  Sabbath  service  in  the  forenoon.  Snow- 
ing to-day.     Can  scarcely  see  the  land,  though  so  close  to  it. 

">SS?^9^4.  This  morning  there  was  water  making  all  around; 
every  thing  to  be  got  aboard  again  ;  and  the  shipping  of  the  pro- 
peller again  was  not  so  easy,  as  it  was  all  frozen  over ;  but  at  last 
it  was  got  into  position,  and  in  the  evening  got  up  steam,  and 
tried  to  work  nearer  inshore  to  the  water.  About  11  p.m.  we 
had  got  through,  and  free  of  the  ice.  Lowered  a  boat,  and  I  went 
with  Captain  Hall  ashore  to  examine  the  place  for  a  harbor. 

''^Sept.  5.  At  midnight,  last  night,  Captain  Hall  raised  an  Amer- 
ican flag  on  this  land — the  most  northern  site  on  which  any  civil- 
ized flag  has  been  planted.  When  it  was  run  up,  Captain  Hall  pro- 
nounced that  he  took  possession  'in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and 
for  the  President  of  the  United  States.'  He  then  returned  on 
board,  and  we  let  go  the  anchor  at  half-past  twelve,  low  meridian, 
on  the  5th  of  September.  Tiiis  place,  which  we  had  examined, 
was  only  a  bend  in  the  coast,  and  afforded  no  protection  as  a  har- 
bor; we  therefore  steamed  through  the  open  water,  and  resumed 
our  search  to  the  southward;  but  not  finding  any  better  place,  we 
returned  to  our  former  anchorage,  and  began  immediately  to  land 
provisions  again ;  snow  still  falling.  Captain  Hall  named  the 
bight  we  examined  'Kepulse  Harbor.' 

"  On  the  7th  of  September  we  weighed  anchor  and  steamed  in 
nearer  to  the  shore.  There  was  some  discussion  as  to  going  over 
to  the  west  side  to  look  for  a  harbor,  but  the  sailing-master  de- 

*  Subsequently  corrected.     Real  latitude,  82'  16'. 


THANK  GOD  IIAHBOU. 


151 


clared  she  should  not  move  from  there,  and  so  Captain  Hall  gave 
up.  We  have  now  brought  the  ship  round  behind  an  iceberg, 
which  is  aground  in  thirteen  fathoms  of  water.  This  iceberg  is 
about  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  three  hundred  feet  broad, 
and  sixty  feet  high.  Our  latitude,  by  observation,  81°  38'  N., 
long.  61°  45'  W.  We  had  been,  I  should  think,  nearly  fifty 
miles  farther  north,  but  the  current  had  set  us  down.  We  are 
now  preparing  to  put  permanent  stores  on  shore,  so  that  if  the 
vessel  gets  nipped  we  shall  have  something  to  depend  on, 

^''Sunday.  After  service  thi'=-  morning.  Captain  Hall  announced 
that  he  would  name  our  winter-quarters  Tliank  God  Ilarhor,  in 
recognition  of  His  kind  providence  over  us  so  fur.  lie  also 
named  the  iceberg  to  which  we  fastened  'Providence  Berg.' 
Came  near  having  an  explosion  the  other  day,  when  coming  into 
harbor,  by  the  fireman  neglecting  to  feed  the  boilers;  just  dis- 
covered in  time. 

'SSt^j/.  11.  Commenced  housing  the  ship  with  canvas,  and,  after 
the  ice  becomes  strong  enough,  we  shall  bank  her  up. 


lOE  UBEAKIMO  UP. 


162 


ARCTIC  EXl'EUIENCES. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  IIunting-party.-A  cold  Survey.— Description  of  ("oast-hills. — A  Musk-ox  shot. — 
Landing  Provisions. — Arctic  Foxes. — Captain  Hall  prepares  for  a  Sledge-jour- 
ney.—Conversation  with  Captain  Tyson.— Off  at  last.— Captain  Hall  "forgets 
something," — Twenty  "somethings." — The  Sun  disappears. — Banking  the  Ship. 

Dr.  Bessel  and  Mr.  Chester,  with  Joe  and  Hans,  went  off  to- 
day on  a  hunting-excursion.  Shot  a  musk-ox  and  some  hares. 
These  hares  in  winter  are  almost  entirely  white,  having  but  a 
small  black  spot  near  the  ears,  and  they  can  cover  even  that  spot 


POLABIB  AT  OAPK  lUPTON— WIMTEB-tllTAETEBS,  18T2-'73. 

with  their  ears.  In  consequence  of  their  being  colorless  like  the 
ice  and  snow,  they  can  not  be  readily  distinguished  if  they  keep 
still.  The  ice,  which  had  been  broken  up  by  a  southerly  gale,  is 
beginning  to  pack. 

"  Sept.  16.  To-day  has  been  the  most  wintry-feeling  day  we 
have  had.  This  morning  Mr.  Bryan,  Mr.  Meyers,  and  Mauch 
went  out  to  make  a  survey.  They  got  to  a  mountain  about  fif- 
teen miles  off  in  a  south-east  direction,  intending  to  start  a  base- 
line from  it;  but  they  returned,  between  one  and  two  o'clock, 
nearly  frozen,  as  they  had  broken  through  some  thin  ice  and  got 
wet;  there  was  a  sharp  wind,  which  helped  to  discomfit  them. 


ESQUIMAUX  RELICS.  158 

Have  been  out  to  see  what  this  country  is  like  where  wc  must 
spend  our  long  winter  nights.  The  coast-hills  are  very  high — 
from  nine  to  thirteen  hundred  feet  or  more  in  height — and  the 
great  scars  and  cracks  in  the  rocks  look  as  if  wind  and  weather, 
frost  and  ice,  and  sudden  changes  of  temperament,  had  done  their 
worst  with  them ;  at  the  base  of  these  rocks  there  is  a  large 
amount  of  dt-bris — stones  and  sand,  great  scales  from  the  rocks 
which  have  been  split  off  by  the  frost  Off  to  the  south  there  is 
a  large  glacier,  which  sweeps  round  in  a  wide  circuit  and  falls 
into  the  bay  north  of  us.  There  was  no  snow  on  these  hills 
when  we  came  to  anchor  here;  what  fell  the  first  few  days  ran 
off  and  dried  up  fast.  The  mountain  ranges  which  we  can  see 
in  the  interior,  so  far  as  I  can  tell,  were  also  clear  of  snow;  and 
the  land,  this  20th  of  August,  is  bare,  except  what  eun  be  distin- 
guished of  the  distant  glacier,  which  is  white.  The  soil  very 
rapidly  absorbs  any  moisture.  The  hot  summer  has  heated  the 
ground  so  that  the  snow  does  not  lie.  The  soil  is  a  light 
clay. 

"  This  bay  of  Thank  God  Harbor  is  about  twelve  miles  long 
and  nine  wide.     The  Polaris  lies  at  lat.  81°  38'. 

"Esquimaux  have  evidently  lived  here;  saw  their  traces  to- 
day ;  circles  of  stone,  indicating  where  their  tents  had  been  placed; 
but  we  have  seen  none  of  them.  Perhaps  they  used  to  come  here 
in  the  summer,  and  have  now  emigrated  permanently  to  the  south. 
Have  found  some  spear-heads  made  of  walrus  teeth,  some  pieces 
of  bone,  and  other  little  things  which  only  Esquimaux  use.  All 
we  pick  up  we  give  to  Dr.  Bessel.  The  landscape  is  all  of  a  dull 
neutral  tint — a  sort  of  cold  gray.  It  will  soon  be  all  of  one  color, 
and  that  white.  The  frame-work  of  the  observatory  which  was 
set  up  had  to  be  strengthened  and  braced ;  the  wind  almost  blew 
it  down. 

"  Sept.  23.  A  large  halo  round  the  sun.  We  shall  probably 
have  a  change  of  weather  soon. 

"  Sundcvj.  Mr.  Bryan  read  a  sermon  and  one  of  Dr.  Newm^an's 
prayers.  Mr.  Bryan  is  quite  a  favorite  aboard,  and  deservedly 
so.     He  never  makes  any  trouble. 

"  Dr.  Bessel  and  the  natives  have  returned  from  their  hunting 
excursion.  They  took  with  them  a  sleigh  and  team  of  eight 
dogs.  Hans  is  driver.  The  first  part  of  the  week  they  had  fine 
weather,  but  encountered  a  stiff  gale  on  Friday — the  same  which 


154  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES, 

almost  shook  down  the  observatory.  They  have  brought  home 
the  greater  part  of  a  musk-ox  which  they  killed.  The  dogs 
which  draw  the  sledges  are  taught  to  bay  these  oxen,  and  keep 
them  at  a  stand  us  they  do  the  bears.  One  of  the  dogs  had  been 
thrown,  but  not  much  hurt.  The  musk-ox  has  been  reported  by 
some  writers  to  be  extinct,  but  it  seems  they  are  not  here;  and 
Captain  Ilall  certainly  found  them  plenty  west  and  north  of  Hud- 
son Buy  in  1865.  The  flesh  of  this  one  was  good,  and  did  not 
taste  of  musk  in  the  least — very  much  like  other  beef  The  meat, 
head,  and  skin  weighed  over  three  hundred  pounds.  As  they 
stand,  some  of  them  will  weigh  twice  that.  The  Labrador  musk- 
ox  is  so  strongly  permeated  with  the  flavor  of  musk  as  to  be 
scarcely  eatable. 

"  Sept.  24,  Eveyiing.  Captain  Ilall  has  a  very  pleasant  way  of 
getting  along  with  the  men  ;  they  were  highly  pleased  with  some 
remaiks  he  made  to  them  on  Sunday,  and  have  got  up  a  letter  of 
thanks,  which  they  sent  into  the  cabin.  It  was  very  well  worded. 
I  have  no  copy  of  it,  but  this  was  Captain  Hall's  reply : 

"  •  United  States  Steamship  Polaris,  C.  F.  Hall  commanding. 
"  '  Sirs, — The  reception  of  your  letter  of  tlmnks  to  ine  of  this  date  I  aclvnowledge 
witli  11  heart  that  deeply  feels  and  fully  appreciates  the  kindly  feeling  that  has  jjrompt- 
ed  you  to  this  act.  I  need  not  assure  you  that  your  commander  has,  and  ever  will 
have,  a  lively  interest  in  your  welfare.  You  have  left  your  homes,  friends,  and  coun- 
try ;  indeed  you  have  bid  a  long  farewell  for  a  time  to  the  whole  civilized  world,  for 
the  puri)ose  of  aiding  me  in  discovering  the  mysterious,  hidden  parts  of  the  earth. 
I  therefore  must  and  shall  care  for  you  as  a  jjrudent  father  cares  for  his  faithful 
children.  Your  commander, 

'"C.  F.  Hall, 

•"United  States  Nortli  Polar  Expedition, 

In  wintcr-qiiartcrsi,  Thank  God  Harbor, 

Lat.81°38'N.,loug.Cl°44'W.    Sept.  24, 1871.' 

^^S^pt.  27.  At  11  A.M.  commenced  a  violent  snow-storm,  which 
has  continued  all  day.  This  afternoon  at  4  p.m.  the  ice  broke 
up  and  packed.     We  must  expect  winter  weather  soon, 

'TAl  1.  The  snow-storm  which  commenced  on  the  27th  of 
September  continued  for  thirty-six  hours,  and  the  following  day 
the  pack-ice  crowded  against  the  ship  badly.  She  ought  to  be 
sheared  up  and  banked.  All  day  yesterday  a  strong  gale  from 
the  north-west.  Weather  fine  to-day  (Sunday).  Hour  of  service 
changed  from  11  A.M.  to  8.30. 

"Oc/.  2.  In  consequence  of  the  pressure  of  the  ice,  a  considera- 
ble quantity  of  provisions  have  been  taken  ashore.     To-day  they 


PREPAKING  FOR  A  SLEDGE-JOURNEY.         155 

were  all  covered  up  with  snow,  and  some  of  the  men  are  ordered 
to  haul  them  off  the  flat  ground  and  place  them  under  the  lee  of 
a  hill.  There  ought  to  be  a  house  built  to  shelter  them.  Some 
seals  have  been  seen,  and  some  of  the  men  have  been  out  hunt- 
ing for  them,  but  they  got  none ;  and  a  white  fox  which  they  saw 
also  escaped  them.  These  Arctic  foxes  seem  the  most  cunning  an- 
imals I  ever  saw.    It  is  very  difficult  either  to  shoot  or  trap  them. 

"  Try  to  do  a  little  reading  and  writing,  but  the  light  is  very 
weak  now.  The  sun  makes  us  but  short  visits.  The  ice  is  now 
so  well  hardened  that  Captain  Ilall  is  talking  of  preparing  a 
sledgc-party  to  go  north. 

*'0c^.  3.  Captain  Hall  is  feeding  the  dogs  up,  and  looking  over 
his  things  to  decide  what  he  will  take.  Had  a  conversation  with 
Captain  Hall,  lie  told  me  that  he  would  like  to  have  me  go 
with  him,  and  then  he  stopped,  and,  pointing  to  the  sailing-mas- 
ter, said,  '  but  I  can  not  trust  that  man.  I  want  you  to  go  with 
me,  but  I  don't  know  how  to  leave  him  on  the  ship.  I  want  to 
go  on  this  journey,  and  to  reach,  if  possible,  a  higher  latitude  than 
Parry  before  I  get  back.'  I  told  him  '1  would  like  to  go;  but, 
of  course,  I  was  willing  to  remain  and  take  what  care  of  the  ship 
1  could.'     I  did  not  tell  him  how  much  I  wanted  to  go. 

"Oc<.  6.  Preparations  still  going  ca  for  the  sledge-expedition. 
Captain  Hail  told  me  to-day  that  he  would  take  Chester  with  him 
instead  of  me,  giving  as  his  reason  '  that,  if  the  vessel  should  break 
out,  it  would  be  better  for  me  to  be  aboard  to  assist  the  sailing- 
master.'  lie  has  been  having  every  thing  weighed,  so  as  to  know 
exactly  what  weight  the  dogs  will  have  to  carry,  and  what  rations 
to  allow  themselves.  Been  examining  the  dogs'  harness,  and 
preparing  extra  lines.     It  seems  slow  work. 

'^Oct.  10.  Every  thing  ready  at  last;  they  will  get  started  to- 
day at  12  M.  There  are  two  sledges ;  each  sledge  has  seven  dogs : 
Captain  Hall  and  Joe  in  one  sledge,  and  Mr.  Chester  and  Ilans  in 
the  other.  This  journey,  I  understand,  is  merely  preliminary  to  a 
more  extended  journey  in  the  spring.  lie  wants  to  get  a  gen- 
eral idea  of  which  will  be  the  best  route;  he  hopes  to  find  some 
better  way  than  over  the  old  floes  and  hummocks  of  the  straits. 

^^Evening.  Saw  Captain  Hall  well  on  his  journey;  went  with 
some  of  the  men,  and  helped  haul  the  heavy  laden  sledge  up  the 
steep  hill.  They  drove  off  the  plains  to  the  eastward,  a  little 
north  by  east.     I  watched  them  as  long  as  I  could  see  them,  and 


156 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


OAFTAIN  hall's  BLEDOB-JOUBNBr. 


hope  he  will  have  a  safe  and  successful  trip ;  but  after  all  the 
time  spent  in  preparing  and  packing,  I  have  no  doubt  he  has  for- 
gotten something  ;  he  is  rather  peculiar  that  way. 

"Od.  11.  As  soon  as  this  snow-storm  is  over,  I  shall  try  and 
get  material  to  build  a  house  ashore  to  put  our  stores  in ;  other- 
wise we  shall  have  to  dig  them  out  of  the  snow  whenever  they 
are  wanted.  Hans  has  returned  with  a  letter  from  Captain  Hall ; 
it  seems  he  has  forgotten,  not  one  thing,  but  several,  and  is  now 
waiting  five  miles  off  for  Hans  to  return  with  them." 

[A  copy  of  the  above  letter  or  dispatch  was  found  in  the 

writing-desk  of  Captain  Ilall,  and  was  preserved  on  the  ice-floe. 

We  give  it  entire. — Ed.'] 

"  '  Sir, — Just  as  soon  as  possible  attend  to  the  following,  and  send  Hans  back  im- 
mediately : 

"  'Feed  up  the  dogs  (14)  on  the  seal-meat  there,  giving  each  2  pounds. 
"  '  In  the  mean  time  order  the  following  articles  to  be  in  readiness : 
"  '  My  bear-skin  mittens ; 
"  '3  or  4  pairs  of  seal-skin  mittens  (Greenland  make); 


TWENTY  "SOMETHINGS."  157 

"' 8  fathoms  lance  warp ; 

"' 20  fathoms  white  line,  for  dog  lines ; 

"' 1  pair  seal-skin  pants,  for  myself ; 

•'' 12  candles,  for  drying  our  clothing; 

"'' Chester's  seal-skin  coat ; 

"  '  1  candlestick,  1  three-cornered  file,  4  onions; 

"' 1  snow-shoe ; 

"  '  1  cup,  holding  just  one  gill ; 

"  '  1  fire-ball,  and  the  cylinder  in  which  it  is  (this  hangs  up  in  my  office)  ; 

"  '  Have  the  carpenter  make,  quick  as  possible,  an  oak  whip-handle,  and  send  the 
material  for  2  or  'A  more  ; 

"  'A  small  box  that  will  hold  the  1  pound  of  coffee  which  I  have ; 

"  'A  small  additional  quantity  of  sinew; 

"  'Try  and  raise,  if  possible,  2  pairs  of  seal-skin  boots  that  will  answer  for  both 
Chester  and  myself. 

"  'The  traveling  we  found  very  heavy  yesterday,  the  snow  being  veiy  deep,  and 
just  hard  enough  to  allow  ourselves,  the  dogs,  and  the  sledge  to  break  through  at  ev- 
ery step.  We  were  three  full  hours  in  making  the  first  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the 
ship.  The  dogs,  being  poor  and  weak,  were  more  disposed  to  lie  down  and  take  a 
nap  than  to  work,  but  the  whip,  swung  by  the  energetic  iirm  of  our  excellent  dog- 
driver,  "  My  Joe,"  at  length  warmed  them  up,  so  that  after  a  fashion  we  accomplish- 
ed a  hard  day's  work,  but  only  the  distance  of  five  {'>)  miles.  These  drawbacks  and 
obstacles,  however,  are  nothing  new  to  an  Arctic  traveler.  We  laugh  at  them,  and 
plod  on,  determined  to  execute  the  service  faithfully  to  the  end. 

"'Have  Mr.  Bryan  compare  my  watch  with  chronometer  D;  then,  by  a  good 
watch-guard  attached  to  it,  suspend  it  to  the  neck  of  "Hans,"  having  the  watch  next 
his  wann  bosom. 

'"Do  not  omit  sending  my  bear-skin  mittens,  which  I  left  behind  by  mistake. 

"  '  Have  Hannah  make  a  small  watch-bag  to  suspend  to  my  neck,  then  place  the 
same  on  Hans's  neck,  with  the  watch  in  it. 

"  'Tell  Dr.  Bessel  to  be  very  mindful  that  the  chronometers  are  all  wound  up  at 
just  the  appointed  time  every  day. 

"  'Willie  Hans  is  absent,  we  are  to  go  on  a  hunt  for  musk-cattle.  Hasten  Hans 
back  without  the  loss  of  a  moment. 

"  'I  should  have  sent  Hans  back  last  night,  but  I  desired  to  first  know  that  our 
company  apparatus  was  all  complete.  The  "Conjuror"*  works  well.  May  God  be 
with  you  all.     Respectfully,  C.  F.  Hall, 

"  '  Commanding;  North  Polar  Expedition,  in  snow  hut  B  miles 
east  of  Thauk  God  Harhor,  on  sledge-journey  toward  the  North  Pole, 
and  on  a  mnsk-ox  hunt.    October  11th,  1871,  Oh.  25m.  a.m. 

"  'You  wil.  preserve  this  carefully,  as  I  have  not  the  time  to  copy  It  now.  Tell 
Hannah  and  little  Puney  to  be  good  always.  H. 

"  'S.  O.  BuDDiNQTON,  Sailing  and  Ice  Master,  North  Polar  Expedition.' " 

"Od.  17.  Our  sun  has  set  behind  the  mountains,  and  we  shall 
not  see  him  again  this  winter  from  the  ship ;  we  might,  no  doubt, 
by  going  to  the  top  of  the  hills,  see  the  upper  limb  for  two  or 


*  A  small  stove,  for  use  in  traveling. 


158 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


three  days  longer;  but  their  great  height  cuts  him  off  from  the 
ship.  Have  commenced  banking  up  the  ship  with  snow,  to  keep 
out  the  cold.  Want  to  get  all  snug  and  taut  before  Captain  Hail 
returns.  Set  some  of  the  men  to  fixing  up  the  canvas  housing, 
covering  in  a  portion  of  the  deck,  and  making  it  almost  as  tight 
as  a  room.  The  twilight  deepens,  and  we  have  but  a  few  hours 
which  can  be  called  daylight.  Yesterday  (19th)  it  was  exceed- 
ingly cold,  and  blowing  such  a  gale  that  the  men  had  to  stop 
work  on  the  banking,  and  get  inside. 

'■'■Oct.  21.  The  banking  is  not  finished  yet,  but  we  have  got  the 
deck  housed  in,  and  we  now  creep  in  and  out  through  a  small 
opening.  Been  to  work  making  a  house  on  shore;  I  made  it 
out  of  hard- wood  poles;  tried  to  get  some  lumber  out  of  the  ship, 
but  could  not,  though  there  was  some  aboard. 


UOTUIU  lUEiiEBO. 


CAPTAIN  HALL'S  RETURN.  159 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Putting  Provisions  ashore. — Return  of  Cnptuin  Hall. — "Prayer  on  leaving  the 
Sliijis." — Ciij)tain  Ilali  taken  .Sick. — What  was  seen  on  his  Sledge-journey.— Apo- 
plexy ?— M'f'lintock's  Engineer — Death  of  Captain  Hall. — A  strange  Remark. — 
I'reparing  the  Grave. — The  Funeral. — "I  walk  on  with  my  Lantern." — Thus  end 
his  ambitious  Projects. 

"All  the  stores  on  shore,  coal,  clothing,  guns,  ammunition,  ap- 
parel, and  a  portion  of  every  thing  which  we  should  most  need, 
are  being  packed  in  my  little  house.  It  could  have  been  made 
stronger  if  I  had  the  lumber,  but  the  poles  do  tolerably  well. 

"Oc/.  24.  Still  engaged  in  banking;  it  is  heavy  work,  as  we 
are  making  the  bank  about  ten  feet  thick. 

'^AJhrnoon.  Captain  Ilall  and  the  rest  returned  to-day  about 
one  o'clock;  all  well,  and  have  lost  no  dogs.  Have  been  gone 
just  two  weeks.  Captain  Hall  looks  very  well.  They  expected 
to  go  a  hundred  miles,  but  they  only  went  f.fty.  I  saw  them 
coming,  and  went  to  meet  them.  Captain  Hall  seems  to  have 
enjoyed  his  journey  amazingly.  lie  said  he  was  going  again, 
and  tliat  he  wanted  me  to  go  with  him.  He  went  aboard,  and 
I  resumed  my  'banking.'" 

[Among  the  articles  found  on  the  ice-floe  was  a  small  private 
desk  of  Captain  Hall's,  Vv'hich  Esquimau  Joe  took  charge  of.  In 
this  was  found  a  small  book  of  nine  pages,  containing  the  three 
prayers  composed  for  the  use  of  the  expedition  by  Dr.  Newman. 
On  the  outside  it  was  indorsed  : 

"C.  F.  HALL. 

"Thank  God  Harbor ;  lat.  81°  38'  N.,  long.  61°  44'  W." 

On  the  upper  margin  of  the  first  page  was  penciled,  "  By  Dr. 
Newman,  for  the  North  Polar  Expedition." 

The  second  prayer,  "on  leaving  the  ships,"  was  indorsed  as 
follows,  in  Captain  Hall's  handwriting: 

"Read  1st  time  Oh.  irm.  to  6h.  r.Om.  a.m.,  Tuesday,  Oct.  17,  1871,  in  our  snow- 
house,  .5th  enct.  (encampment)  on  the  New  Bay.     Lat. N.,  long. W. 

''Oct.  90,  1871.  Read  a.m.,  7h.  Om.  at  our  Gth  enct.,  N.  side  entrance  of  what  I 
now  denominate  Newmuu  Buy,  after  Rev.  Dr.  Newman,  the  author  of  the  three 
prayers  of  this  book." 


160  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

The  third  prayer,  which  was  to  have  been  first  used  at  the 
North  Pole,  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix.  The  second  we  give 
entire. — EdJ] 

PRAYER  ON  LEAVING  THE  SHIPS, 

"Almighty  Father  in  Heaven,  Thou  art  the  God  of  all  ages,  climes,  and  seasons. 
Spring  and  autumn,  summer  and  winter  obey  Thy  command.  In  the  tropics  Thou 
dost  cause  the  sun  to  send  forth  Hoods  of  light  and  heat  upon  plain  and  mountain, 
until  the  earth  bums  like  a  furnace ;  and  here  in  this  far-oft'  northern  clime  Thou 
givest  snow  like  wool  and  scattereth  the  hoar-frost  like  ashes.  Who  can  stand  be- 
fore Thy  cold  ?  But  Thou  art  our  shelter  from  the  stormy  blast,  and  our  cover  from 
the  storm. 

"  We  return  Thee  hearty  thanks  f(jr  our  safe  and  prosperous  voyage  over  the  great 
deep ;  and  now  as  we  leave  our  ships,  be  Thou  our  guide  and  protection  while  we 
traverse  these  mountains  of  ice.  As  unto  Thine  ancient  people  through  the  wilder- 
ness so  may  it  please  Thee  to  be  unto  us,  as  a  cloud  by  day  and  a  pillar  of  fire  by 
night.  We  are  here  to  explore  the  unknown  regions  of  our  earth,  to  enlarge  the 
scope  of  human  knowledge,  and  advance  the  best  interests  of  mankind.  Others  have 
perished  in  the  noble  but  perilous  attempt,  but  may  it  please  Thee  to  preserve  us 
amidst  dangers  seen  and  unseen,  and  bring  our  labors  to  a  successful  termination. 
Grant  us  health  of  body,  vigor  of  mind,  and  cheerfulness  of  soul.  Save  us  from 
doubts  and  fears  and  all  misgivings.  May  our  courage  never  forsake  us,  nor  our 
resolution  falter  for  a  moment.  Send  us  the  inspiration  of  Thy  Spirit  that  will  give 
us  warmth  of  soul  and  gladness  of  heart  amidst  these  ice-bound  regions. 

"  He  pleased  to  suggest  to  our  minds  the  direction  we  should  take,  and  point  out 
to  us  tiie  path  which  will  lead  us  to  the  desired  destination,  that  our  hearts  may  be 
glad  and  rejoice  in  the  consummation  of  our  plans. 

"  Helj)  us  to  be  kind  and  true  to  the  people  of  this  distant  land,  that  they  may 
learn  of  Thee  and  of  a  better  civilization  by  our  deportment  and  example,  and  espe- 
cially of  that  Divine  Christianity  which  is  the  hope  of  the  world. 

"  Unto  Thee,  Almighty  Father,  we  offer  our  prayers  for  the  health  and  happiness 
of  the  dear  ones  at  home,  who  arc  now  thinking  of  us,  and  may  we  meet  them  again 
in  peace  and  safety. 

"Pardon  all  our  sins,  we  humbly  beseech  Thee;  keep  our  minds  in  perfect  peace, 
and  at  last,  when  life  is  over,  may  we  behold  Thee  in  Tiiy  glory  in  Heaven,  for  the 
sake  of  Christ  our  Redeemer.     Amen." 

"Oc^.  24,  Evenirig.  I  kept  at  work  till  it  was  too  dark  to  see, 
and  then  came  aboard.  Captain  Hall  is  sick ;  it  seems  strange, 
he  looked  so  well.  I  have  been  into  the  cabin  to  see  him.  He 
is  lying  in  his  berth,  and  says  he  feels  sick  at  his  stomach.  This 
sickness  came  on  immediately  after  drinking  a  cup  of  coffee.  I 
think  it  must  be  a  bilious  attack,  but  it  is  very  sudden,  I  asked 
him  if  he  thought  he  was  bilious,  and  told  him  I  thought  an 
emetic  would  do  him  good.  He  said  if  it  was  biliousness  it 
would,     Hope  he  will  be  better  to-morrow. 

"Oc^,  25.  Captain  Hall  is  no  better.      Mr.  Morton  and  Mr. 


CAPTAIN  HALL  DELIRIOUS.  161 

Chester  watched  with  him  last  night;  they  thought  part  of  the 
time  he  was  delirious. 

^'■Eieniiirj.  Captain  Ilall  is  certainly  delirious;  I  don't  know 
what  to  make  of  what  he  says.  lie  sent  for  me  as  if  he  had 
something  particular  to  say,  but —  I  will  not  repeat  what  he 
said;  I  don't  think  it  meant  any  thing.  No  talk  of  any  thing  in 
the  ship  but  Captain  Hall's  illness;  if  it  had  only  been  'the  heat 
of  the  cabin,'  which  some  of  them  say  overcame  him,  he  could 
have  got  out  into  the  air,  and  he  would  have  felt  better.  I  can 
not  hear  that  he  ate  any  thing  to  make  him  sick;  all  he  had  was 
that  cup  of  coffee. 

"Chester  has  been  telling  me  about  this  sledge-journey.  He 
says  they  went  up  to  the  large  bay  we  saw  to  the  eastward  of 
Robeson  Strait,  and  they  have  discovered  a  lake  and  a  river. 
They  went  up  on  to  the  top  of  an  iceberg  near  the  mouth  of  this 
nver,  where  they  could  overlook  the  lai'ge  bay.  From  its  south- 
ern cape  to  its  head  it  is  thirty  miles  long.  He  says  Captain 
Hall  has  named  this  southern  cape  after  Senator  Sumner;  the 
bay  itself  after  Dr.  Newman ;  and  the  north  cape  after  Mr.  J. 
Carson  Brevoort,  of  Brooklyn."  [Here  he  wrote  his  last  official 
dispatch. — Ed.'\ 

"  There  was  plenty  of  open  water  all  around,  and  they  could 
see  the  seals  at  play.  The  ice  in  the  strait  itself  was  moving,  so 
they  did  not  venture  on  it.  They  made  six  camps  on  the  way, 
and  halted  at  Cape  Brevoort,  where  they  could  see  about  seventy 
miles  farther  to  the  north.  Captain  Hall  thought  their  eyes  took 
in  land  as  far  north  as  83°  5',  but  they  could  not  be  sure  of  any 
thing  at  that  distance,  unless  it  was  some  very  high  mountain  or 
a  familiar  landmark.  Where  they  stopped  last,  at  their  sixth 
encampment,  it  was  too  hilly  for  the  dogs  to  go  any  further. 

"Joe  built  snow-huts  for  them,  and  they  did  not  find  it  very 
cold ;  they  saw  musk-ox  and  the  tracks  of  bears  and  wolves ; 
and  have  seen  foxes  and  rabbits,  geese,  partridges,  and  other 
birds;  so  that  Captain  Hall  is  quite  encouraged,  thinking  that, 
when  he  goes  again,  their  party  can  depend  on  getting  game  to 
help  subsist  on.  Joe  shot  some  seals  at  their  very  last  encamp- 
ment. Mr.  Chester  says  that  Captain  Hall  wrote  a  record,  and 
put  it  in  one  of  the  copper  cylinders,  which  was  left  at  Cape 
Brevoort,  digging  down  and  covering  it  up  with  stones.  The 
weather  was  warmer  than  it  is  here. 

11 


162  ARCTIC  EXPEUIENCES. 

"iVby.  1.  Captain  Ilall  is  a  little  better,  and  has  been  up,  at- 
tempting to  write;  but  he  don't  act  like  himself — he  begins  a 
thing,  and  don't  finish  it.  He  begins  to  talk  about  one  thing, 
and  then  goes  off  on  to  something  else:  his  disease  has  been  pro- 
nounced paralysis,  and  also  apoplexy.  I  can't  remember  of  any 
one  dying  of  apoplexy  in  the  north  except  Captain  M'Clintock's 
engineer,  and  he  died  very  suddenly ;  went  tv>  bed  well  at  9  p.m., 
and  was  found  dead  in  his  state-room  in  the  morning.  I  always 
thought  that  might  have  been  heart  disease.  Hope  the  captain 
will  rally, 

"iVoy.  3.  Captain  lEall  very  bad  again.  He  talks  wildly — 
seems  to  think  some  one  means  to  poison  him  ;  calls  for  first  one 
and  then  another,  as  if  he  did  not  know  who  to  trust.  When  I 
was  in,  he  accused and of  wanting  to  pois- 
on him.  When  he  is  more  rational  he  will  say,  '  If  I  die,  you 
must  still  go  on  to  the  Pole  ;'  and  such  like  remarks.  It's  a  sad 
affair;  what  will  become  of  this  expedition  if  Captain  Hall  dies,  I 
dread  to  think. 

"iVby.  5.  No  change  for  the  better — w^orse,  I  think.  He  ap- 
pears to  be  partially  paralyzed.  This  is  dreadful.  Even  should 
he  recover  his  senses,  what  can  he  do  with  a  paralyzed  body  ? 

"A^oi'.  8.  Poor  Captain  Hall  is  dead;  he  died  early  this  morn- 
ing. Last  evening  Chester  said  the  captain  thought  himself  that 
he  was  better,  and  would  soon  be  around  again.  But  it  seems  he 
took  worse  in  the  night.  Captain  Buddington  came  anc^  --'Id  me 
he  '  thought  Captain  Hall  was  dying.'  I  got  up  immedj  -ioly,  and 
went  to  the  cabin  and  looked  at  him.  He  was  qu'.te  unconscious 
— knew  nothing.  He  lay  on  his  face,  and  was  breathing  very 
heavily ;  his  face  was  hid  in  the  pillow.  It  was  about  half-past 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning  that  he  died.  Assisted  in  preparing 
the  grave,  which  is  nearly  half  a  mile  from  the  ship,  inland ;  but 
the  ground  was  so  frozen  that  it  was  necessarily  very  shallow ; 
even  with  picks  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  break  it  up. 

"A^oi'.  11.  At  half-past  eleven  this  morning  we  placed  all  that 
was  mortal  of  our  late  commander  in  the  frozen  ground.  Even 
at  that  hour  of  the  day  it  was  almost  dark,  so  that  I  had  to  held 
a  lantern  for  Mr.  Bryan  to  read  the  prayers.  I  believe  all  the 
ship's  company  was  present,  unless,  perhaps,  the  steward  and 
cook.  It  was  a  gloomy  day,  and  well  befitting  the  event.  The 
place  also  is  rugged  and  desolate  in  the  extreme.     Away  off,  as 


:i  II    I       ,ii ,. ", 

'nil  iiil|l  'II 
■,'  "  I 

''iii 
,'.!ii:i 
'i 


THE  FUNEKAL  PROCESSION.  165 

far  as  the  dim  light  enables  us  to  see,  we  are  bound  in  by  huge 
masses  of  slate  roek,  which  stand  like  a  barricade,  guarding  the 
barren  land  of  the  interior;  between  these  rugged  hills  lies  the 
snow-covered  plain;  behind  us  the  frozen  waters  of  Polaris  Bay, 
the  shore  strewn  with  great  ice-blocks.  The  little  hut  which  they 
call  an  observatory  bears  aloft,  upon  a  tall  llag-stafi",  the  only 
cheering  object  in  sight;  and  that  is  sad  enough  to-day,  for  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  droop  at  half-mast. 

"As  we  went  to  the  grave  this  morning,  the  cofTin  hauled  on  a 
sledge,  over  which  was  spread,  instead  of  a  pall,  the  American 
Hag,  we  walked  in  procession.  I  walked  on  with  my  lantern  a 
little  in  advance ;  then  came  the  captain  and  officers,  the  engineer, 
Dr.  Bessel,  and  Meyers;  and  then  the  crew,  hauling  the  body 
by  a  rope  attached  to  the  sledge,  one  of  the  men  on  the  right 
holding  another  lantern.  Nearly  all  are  dressed  in  skins,  and, 
were  there  other  eyes  to  see  us,  we  should  look  like  any  thing 
but  a  funeral  cortege.  The  Esquimaux  followed  the  crew.  There 
is  a  weird  sort  of  I'ght  in  the  air,  partly  boreal  or  electric,  through 
wliich  the  stars  shone  brightly  at  11  A.M.,  while  on  our  way  to 
■'•.  ave. 

"uL's  end  poor  Hall's  ambitious  projects;  thus  is  stilled  the 
selng  enthusiasm  of  as  ardent  a  nature  as  I  ever  knew, 
c  might  not  always  have  been,  but  his  soul  was  in  this 
\^.il;  and  had  he  lived  till  spring,  I  think  he  would  have  gone 
us  far  at-  mortal  man  could  go  to  accomplish  his  mission.  But 
with  his  death  I  fear  that  all  hopes  of  further  progress  will  have 
to  be  abandoned. 


i 


l(je  AliCTIC  EXrEIllENCEb. 


CHAPTER  X. 

l^aptain  Tiuililington  passes  to  the  Command. — Scientific  Obsen-ations. — The  first 
Aurora  of  the  Season. — Sunday  Prayers  discontinued. — Dr.  Bessel  Storm-bound 
in  the  Observatory. — Meyers  to  the  He.^cue. — An  Arctic  Humcane. — Fast  to  the 
Icei)erg. — Sawing  through  the  Ice. — Electric  Clouds. — Pressure  of  Fioe-ice. — The 
Iceberg  splits  in  two. — The  Polaris  on  her  Beam-ends. — Hannah,  Haus's  Wife, 
and  the  Children  put  Ashore. 

''Captain'  Bri)i)iN(iTON  has  passed  to  the  command  without 
question,  it  being  understood  by  all  that  such  was  to  be  the  case 
if  Captain  Hall  died  or  wa.s  disabled. 

•'  Bad  weather.  Observations  continue  to  be  made  by  Dr.  Bes- 
sel and  Mr.  Meyers  on  the  temjMjrature,  the  force  and  vehxiity  of 
the  wind,  the  deviations  of  the  cotnpxss,  and  whatever  else  the 
weather  jwrmits.  They  work  in  the  observatory.  On  board  we 
make  frequent  obm'rvations  on  the  tides;  usually  every  hour, 
*>raetimes  more  frequently,  I>r.  Ik'!*.s<'l  and  Mr.  Meyers  say  now 
tliat  the  highest  hititude  the  ship  reaehid  w.-t**  «2    W. 

^' Suv.  15.  Apf»«»arpd  the  iir.-«t  aurora  of  th«'  season,  not  very 
briiliaiit  The  laini  to  the  east  of  ItilM-sttn  Strait  north  of  \V:wh- 
ingtoti  I^anU  w*-  now  i-ull  'llail's  Uin«l.'  Win  is  tin  wiutlH  r  m 
KSaXlR  and  xttry  eold.  tiie  !<•»•  in  lixlw^m  ('harir»l  n*  partially  ijo?**  d. 
\m%  with  wery  i»lr«>ng  br< «  /,*-  that  blows  h  ■  t..i  juii. - 

•lAMMlBii.  If  w«»  could  ;;i't  through  orii' oi  t^Miltgaas,  w«  \u.j-u' 
#»<  A»0frfi  wakr  iit-youd.  Thi*  w4-ntli.r  j«  rrrr  <»butij^i»J& 
A  ^awpi  of  'M*  m  a  ft'w  hmm  m  tuo.  mwumuum  The  l«it  jpk 
mm  ill ii.i<fifiiii.i  i  u>  h«v«  a  »«iwtoriif  fci^^iwww  mi!?'*  nor  Immm'. 

fVPB  *wm  qMNv  |iRi^  WW  wHmKKmf  |wH  ■■  w*-*!  i        i  tBtna 

mtvm^  hm  m  ffif «i  m^kwumm- :  k  mmmm  »  pUf  to  <#•* 

WKtHm  mm  V  .JL^'m.  miw  'lUiPPW'  Vl^  9-'  -^^MPr  mnrpMnMl^v  WBf  liPillnll  W/mm  ml^  PM 
«'df  ^  4iillilir  fitiif  «  fej^glBtii    Milii'iiiit^  iiiii'iinin    bi^  jMMIIft  ^Al    agiliiig^  ^gdugli* 


STOUM-BOUND  IN  THE  OBSKRVATOKY.  167 

keep  bim  prisoner  there  too  long.  At  half-past  nine  Mr.  Meyers 
concluded  to  go  and  see  if  any  thing  had  happened  to  him.  It 
was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  he  made  his  way  up  the  hill 
toward  the  observatory.  Several  times  he  was  driven  back  by 
the  force  of  the  storm.  Joe  and  Hans  offered  to  go  with  him ; 
and  finallj',  after  an  hour  consumed  in  trying  to  get  a  few  rods, 
they  succeeded  in  reaching  the  house.  It  was  well  they  went. 
Dr.  Bessel  had  been  without  fire  for  eight  hours,  his  coal  having 
given  out;  and  he  had  not  dared,  in  the  storm  and  darkness,  to 
try  and  get  to  tiie  ship  for  fear  of  losing  his  way.  One  of  his  ears 
was  frozen.  .        . 

"  Mr.  Meyers  got  one  of  his  eyelids  frozen  in  the  brief  time  he 
had  been  battling  the  wind  and  snow,  and  even  Joe's  right  cheek 
was  touciied.  However,  they  all  got  back  to  the  ship;  and  after 
Dr.  Bessvd  had  had  somt'  warm  coffee  and  food,  and  his  ear  at- 
tended to,  he  was  all  right  again.  This  gale  kept  veering  and 
backing  between  ejust  and  north,  an<l  part  of  the  time  attained  the 
immense  velfwity  of  sixrv  miles  {xt  hour,  the  tiiermonieter  sUmd- 
ing  at  24'  Ik'Iow  ;  wii  .1,  if  it  had  Ix'en  calm,  we  should  tliink 
moderaU'  w«>ather. 

"One  of  the  men,  IL'rman  .Si«'man.  going  out  to  examine  the 
ti<ie  gauge,  wjw  lifuii  up  hy  the  sl4>rrn  and  eurri»'«j  ijuitt-  a  (ii«- 
tance,  ami  then  thrown  violently  ufwin  th<?  ice,  which  wjw  over- 
iUviM  with  wattr;  he  h:i<l  t4>  give  up.  The  miow  drift  wan  a« 
blinding  an  the  gala  wui*  f'uriouM;  it  hflji  Nhak<?n  up  the  ice  no  ilup^ 
ill.'  till-  night  ttuit  lietwecn  on«'  and  two  o'cl'N'k  it  lit'gan  cra«;king 
aruund  tJi*'  whip,  and  the  Hiiow-wall  which  W(>  hiui  \mh'u  at  micIi 
^n«  to  biuid  j.'M-  ^-.y   •!•  .i  mnk  fully  two  f.it. 

*'-*^'.  fl.  Y- -  i      tm  bnAic  ttil  around  tu,  t^  unow 

tkiUmg  m»  tfctt  •#•  wrtiUi  mA  mm  omr  erwdtiHm  or  Itow  Uj>  rmmdf 
iMjr  thin,      n  w*-  |Mit  out  mw*i  r :  h«t  iImi  fU|i 

MM  ^Aarnr  mmmA  tiw  bm§.  Ttmurd  tumm  ^.tin-  (if  tkm  atm 
mumntditiA  in  gtmm§  <mm  ibe  iot  Hi  "  >tii  wttli  tibr 

.m  qf  hmntiiim  tlwy  III  iIiimii  it  itmm  «•  •  ikm  ^ 

Hit  wMMMMi  wV  IBW  OTHIM..      W:.        '.itf 

:  .  ''f^'4»f  lk»  mrwlkrr  liMiiiiiii  §m.  km  vmj  mii :  (iw  wkti 
hm  mM-  Whm  «» imm  *^  *>*  wlnt  limiigi  lii  tn^i 
M  MMi^»  INMM|||  '^■Ir  minj|p.»  inl  MM  w  uttf  ttttitfjB 


HJ3  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

were  lost  —  probabl;^  drifted  away  when  the  ice  broke.  Most 
of  the  do2r3  were  foitunatclv  on  boan',  having  been  brought  in 
when  the  gale  came  on. 

"  Aoi;.  25.  Sawed  an  opening  through  the  ice,  so  as  to  warp  the 
ship  round  under  better  shelter  toward  the  centre  of  the  berg, 
as  in  our  present  position  we  are  only  protected  in  one  direction. 
Moved  her  along  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  to  the  middle  of 
the  berg  on  its  long  side. 

"Last  evening  some  electric  clouds  were  observed — a  shining 
white,  and  circular  in  form.     There  have  been  some  seen  before. 

'■^Suiahuj.  There  was  a  brief  service  held,  but  the  announce- 
ment was  made  that  attendance  was  not  compulsory,  though  it 
was  desirable  that  all  should  attend,  ^fr.  liryan  would  like  the 
service  to  be  regular,  but  1  don't  know  who  is  head  of  the  chap- 
Uiin's  business  now. 

"A'cr.  28.  Fair  weather  and  moderate  temperature  yesterday; 
but  the  latter  part  of  tlie  day  the  barometer  fell  gradually,  and 
in  the  evening  a  snowstorm,  with  a  gale,  set  in  from  the  south — 
south  by  west.  The  tl<x!-iee  was  pre8.sed  against  our  berg  so  vio- 
lently that  it  j>artoil  in  two.  \V«'  swung  to  our  anchors,  but  the 
(ihip  was  lorced  Uj)on  ttu;  foot  of  the  berg,  which  lay  to  the  .south- 
went  of  ij.«4,  shaking  an<l  straining  the  vessel  badly.  At  ebb  tide 
•be  keeie<I  over,  and  lay  nearly  on  h<T  Warn -ends;  CAtKXUXUg  tm 
much  that  it  \n  diflieiilt  to  ki'<>)>  onv*  Awting  on  <]e  *C 

*•  The  foot  of  the  m'\y^'^^  Ih  now  pttttbeti  lum^'aU* '.      raining  her 
two  U'vi  ami  a  half.     Sent  IJannaii  and  IInn»*ii  wiA;  with  the 
to  1^  ofaieryatory  tat  aafety.     Ako  mmi  mnw  more 
wtHaoTP.  in  onw  we  htive  to  •«'■;•'■■  ''r-  vf**,-}.     Think  Um 
6oalil  hs  itMlfld  ^,  but  nu  u:-,.       .  If  nhe  in  h§^ 

m  ^Hi  wftjr  tke  will  gi^  llirtber  Mid  &rtl  ii«  apii  <tf  tlM 

yt^  mA  fel  mmk  m  mmmn%  m  will  ^  -^^'''^ 


DR.  BESSEL'S  BAD  LUCK.  169 


CHAPTER  XL 

Thanksgiving. — A  Paraselene. — Dr.  Bessel's  bid  Luck. — "It  is  very  dark  now." — 
Oppressive  Silence  of  the  Arctic  Night. — Tiie  Voracity  of  Shrimps.  —  "In  Hall's 
Time  it  was  Heaven  to  this." — A  natural  Gentleman. — No  Service  on  Cliristmas. 
— The  Polaris  rises  and  falls  with  the  Tide. — Futile  Blasting. — The  New  Year. — 
Atmospheric  Phen(nnena. — The  Twilight  brightens. — Trip  to  Cape  Lupton. — 
Height  (if  the  Tides  at  Tliank  (jod  Harbor. 

"Thanksgiving  was  remembered  at  the  table,  but  in  nu 
other  way.     Fair  weather. 

■'On  both  Satunhiy  ami  Sunday  evening  there  was  a  para- 
selene— three  moons  showing  besides  the  true  one;  the  four  so  ar- 
ranged a.s  to  Ibnn  a  beautiful  cross.  This  curious  phenomenon 
is  more  common  in  tiiese  latitudes  than  farther  south,  caused,  1 
jMv.siunc,  l»y  some  peculiar  state  of  the  atmosphere — a  sort  of 
double  refraction. 

^Dfc.  6.  Dr.  lk's.Hcl  has  bad  luck.  Yesterday  was  fair  until  the 
middle  of  the  day,  but  in  the  afternoon  a  gale  sprung  up  from 
the  south,  increa-Hing  through  the  evening.  Toward  mi<hiighl 
ih«;  wind  wulwided,  but  a  muow- storm  came  on.  About  2  a.m. 
Dr.  Ik'iuM'l  Htarted  for  the  olmTvatory,  and.  missing  bin  way, 
wander*-4i  ab<iut  uil  night  until  nix  o'ehxjk  this  morning.  It 
iuiH  juttt  <ict:urre4i  In  htm  that  i»  would  Ije  well  u>  run  a  w»pt?  ewr 
*  win?  fr<«fn  th«-  whip  u*  the  obiervaUiry,  lo  m  lo  guidt*  him  in 
tiw?  darkm-**;  anti  it  will  be  p«t  up  todAy. 

•'  Thire  are  uceiMonal  4i»fday»«  c»f  nortlwrn  lightu,  but  nm  very 
Wilh«iit;  )mv«  Men  a  numUr  of  naHinUnff'mmk  Ko  ckwibt  we 
mtm  imtr*'  thati  w«  nee.  The  Um  mtmra,  ftiPMibwr  10^  itfh 
pmm4  m  ike  fim«  .^f  m  »fr  mm  ^  hMh  aialwwtoy  iteK  W 
^mm  iniili  mm  y»  mtf^wmL  Whmmm  *m«  it  of  • 
'mmm  rfMMM  9«f|r  fhMf,  htmmm  tfwm  m  mmkinff  lUI 
m  m  ^Mrnm^  tk*  vImp.  ewm^  m  *•  itiiiiiiiiii  oT  A«  bMi,  ind 


170  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES.   • 

It  is  very  dark  now,  but  not  totally  dark.  We  shall  soon  reach 
the  shortest  day,  and  can  then  look  forward  to  a  blessed  change 
from  this  gloomy,  everlasting  twilight;  we  can  hardly  tell  day 
from  night,  and,  if  it  was  not  for  our  time-pieces,  should  get  sad- 
ly mixed  up — the  more  so  that  there  is  so  little  regularity  ob- 
served. There  is  no  stated  time  for  putting  out  lights;  the  men 
are  allowed  to  do  as  they  please ;  and,  consequently,  they  often 
make  night  hideous  by  their  carousings,  playing  cards  to  all 
hours. 

*'  Can  not  get  away  from  the  ship  much ;  it  is  too  dark  to  go 
out  of  sight  of  the  vessel,  except  for  an  hour  or  two  at  high  me- 
ridian ;  and,  once  away  from  the  ship,  the  gloom  and  silence  of 
every  thing  around  settles  down  on  one  like  a  pall.  There  is  no 
whistling  of  t*'t  wind  among  the  trees,  for  none  of  these  exist 
here;  and  out  on  the  open  plain  the  wind  strikes  you  without 
notice.  There  is  nothing  to  be  ruffled  or  disturbed  by  it,  so  that 
you  ft-el  it  before  you  hear  it,  except  you  are  near  a  gorge  in  the 
hill.s,  between  which  it  .sometimes  comes  roaring  loud  enough. 

"The  other  evening  I  had  wandered  away  from  the  ship.  di.«?- 
gusted  with  the  confusion  and  noi.sc,  and  longing  for  a  moment's 
(juiet.  Once  beyond  range  of  the  men's  voices,  there  was  abso- 
lutely no  other  sound  wljat^ner.  It  wai4  quite  calm :  no  wind, 
no  movement  of  any  living  oreaturo;  notliinj»  but  a  leaden  sky 
abf)VP,  ice  beneath  my  f»H't.  an«l  fii/tHre  eivri/u/H'n-.  It  hunj?  like 
a  pall  over  every  thinjr.  So  pninfully  oppremiivi*  did  it  Ix-com** 
tt  last  that  I  wan  fn-quiritly  ti'mpt«'«l  to  nhout  aloml  mywif.  to 
bnmk  Um  i^sAL    At  Umlf  i  4*tkg  but.  m  Fimj^tm  ^ame,  not  even 


Am4  rtw  (wtf  fmnre  mm  Ife 

kftr«  ttiwl  rmwoWen  ami  nUier  fim-mrmm 
ndcfl  at  tkmm  I  have  iM«t  trnt^nm^ 

WHPfWm,  Or    PI'-ljl    •^PBPIPia^  VW  S^Hb      A  ■PHB'aK 


PREPARATION  FOR  CHRISTMAS.  171 

he  wished  cleaned,  was  not  only  picked  clean  of  every  edible 
speck,  but  almost  polished  by  the  shrimps. 

'^'■Dec.  17.  Another  aurora  reported  last  night ;  very  shifting 
and  changeable.  <  '  •  ■  - 

"i>ec.  18-24.  Nothing  occurring  that  is  pleasant  or  profitable 
to  record.  I  wish  I  could  blot  out  of  my  memory  some  things 
which  I  see  and  hear.  Captain  Ilall  did  not  always  act  with  the 
clearest  judgment,  but  it  icas  /icaven  to  this.  I  have  not  had  a 
sound  night's  sleep  since  the  11th  of  November.  Would  he  had 
lived  till  spring!  - 

"Some  preparations  are  being  made  for  Christmas,  and  all 
hands,  I  hear,  are  to  be  invited  into  the  cabin  this  evening.  We 
have  passed  our  shortest  day,  and  that  interests  me  most.  If  I 
can  get  through  this  winter  I  think  I  shall  be  able  to  live  through 
any  thing.  Mr.  Bryan  does  not  say  much,  but  I  think  he  feels 
it  as  much  as  I  do.  He  is  naturally  a  gentleman,  with  the  true 
instincts  of  right  jiiid  wrong. 

"No  service  on  Christmas.  The  ship  continues  to  rise  and  fall 
with  the  tide,  her  stem  resting  on  the  foot  of  the  iceberg.  At 
neap-tide  the  leak  might  Ixi  repaired — gradually,  if  not  all  at 
once— by  workifig  a  few  hours  at  a  time  as  tlie  tide  permit** ;  but 
no  ordfTH  are  given  to  atU'mjit  it. 

*^J}tr.  28.  A  futile  atu-mpt  wm  made  Ut  break  tip  the  f«K)t  of  the 
berg  by  blui«tin^,  but  it  wjw  too  Ktronjj.  The  amount  of  |K>wder 
necj'saary  to  blaMt  it  succeiwfully  would  endanger  the  nhip,  an  nhe 

''Jan,  !,t«72.  Tlie  flm  day  of  thf  nf*w  year,  and  «Mi/hty  days 
aiaee  we  lmv«*  ««H»n  thf  *\m.     Con«Ml«'ring  Umj  h'*  ••  ■■.•••i»«-«»n«  <♦!<• 
flMMi  of  whit-h  tluM  i-x^M-dtiioii   ;«  ornpoatdl,  r  .      .methinK  to 
be  tfuifikful  for  thM  we  all  commt'tiotf  Um>  new  year  in  giMMJ 

M)tl  wttlt>Mit  any  <^ti  a:id  tick  now  l«dpdl  itiiiiiunii  iil. 

omMiilwniig^  im,  vmm  mmmmttmetm,  I  think  remftrkablf . 
ff  Hr.  fkmuX  mmH  brsr  tlM  an(m|p4iiiiefrti  be  felt  mtnxtVi' 

"  Jlw.  1  Trwd  tfM  Miiliiif  tpiH.  wHk  m  htmt  HMrik    IRm 
*»Jkm.  i   7.  It  ».  fm  99mmf'§Bm  hmm  ^m^  hm  hem  » 


172  AUCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

our  dark  days  less  gloomy.  It  is  very  cold ;  the  thermometer 
stands  at  48°  below  zero.  Some  of  the  atmospheric  phenomena 
are  matters  of  dispute,  or  rather  discussion,  between  the  three 
members  of  the  Scientific  Corps:  for  instance,  on  the  10th  in- 
stant, about  5  A.M.,  there  was  a  bright  arc  observed  in  the  sky, 
extending  from  the  western  horizon  toward  the  east,  and  reach- 
ing up  to  the  zenith  ;  it  appeared  to  be  about  12°  from  the 
Milky  Way,  and  parallel  with  it.  This  continued  only  about  an 
hour;  but  as  it  disappeared,  there  remained  three  cloud -like 
shapes  of  about  the  same  brightness,  resting  near  the  zenith.  x\t 
one  time,  some  narrow,  bright  stripes  were  visible.  Whether 
this  was  to  be  considered  as  a  true  aurora,  or  as  some  unique 
electrical  phenomenon,  was  the  query. 

"f/a/i.  17.  The  twilight  toward  the  south-east  is  visibly  in- 
creasing. How  naturally  every  eye  turns  to  that  quarter,  hop- 
ing to  see  the  arc  of  light  extended. 

'•«/«/i.  24.  Can  see  water  to  ihe  nortii,  and  perceive  that  the 
ice  is  not  closed,  but  drifting  in  the  strait.  Dr.  Bessel  has  been 
out  this  morning  with  two  men  and  a  sledge- team,  to  ascertain 
if  the  open  water  extended  any  great  distance — for  it  is  too  dark 
to  see  far  from  the  vessel,  lie  only  made  nine  miles  —  to  the 
north ;  he  couKl  not  get  fartiier  on  account  of  tlie  headland,  or 
cape,  being  covered  with  smootii  ice,  over  which  the  d<jgs  could 
not  go  nor  the  men  climb.  An  far  as  he  could  see,  it  wa.s  open 
water.  But  it  is  yet  too  dark  to  accomplish  any  thing  in  the 
way  of  exploration."*.  On  account  of  the  darknesj*,  they  were  un- 
able to  i'uul  a  j>a.**K.     Tlje  ice  w;u4  ilrifting  with  the  current. 

*'./«»/*.  2*i.  ^''■K^«•rday  Mr.  ClicsUr  thought  he  wouM  try.  lie 
tc»ok  four  lutM  with  iiiin,  and  a  >\>>/.<m  A<""  ♦'>  draw  the  Mledges. 
lie   thought  he  ^vjtsl.i   gel  ov<m    tin    m..  ,  -.  or  fiml  a  imm 

through   tlM»m :  i   ut>uu(    lo   a.m.:    i>  1   aljout  four 

o'ek^ck  V   baffled  tu*    I)r.  IkagrI   bwl  \tw\i.      Within 

ite  i.ust  thnM*<ias  vari«Hj  fn«ii  ^r  t**  3r> 


SI.   A  ▼IMHlaBoir  iit4»nn  the  wind  bhmtufi  with  hor- 

mti  #Mi  mmm  m  m  VMlMit  §am  k  m  mfmiikh  fi»r  tlir  mm  to 
ii  dmr :  Ammktm,  mmmMB  to  im^  tfw  mmd  ti«kl  <ib> 


^.  1. 1971.  Qilft  i»iii—ig :  Imm  ammmti  m  vdbmjr 


THE  HEIGHT  OF  TIDES. 


173 


miles  per  hour.  To-day  I  went  over  to  Cape  Lupton  to  see  what 
I  could  make  out.  Cape  Lupton  is  a  bold  headland,  eighteen 
hundred  or  two  thousand  feet  high.  I  managed  to  get  to  the 
top,  and  from  that  elevation  saw  that  the  ice  was  completely 
cleared  out  of  the  channel ;  in  fact,  there  was  free  water  every- 
where except  in  the  bay,  the  ship  itself  being  firmly  inclosed; 
but  for  eighty  miles  to  the  north,  had  we  been  in  the  channel,  we 
could  certainly  have  sailed  in  free  water. 

"/fi.  2.  The  tide-holes  have  been  cleared  out,  and  the  usual 
observations  resumed.  The  tides  vary  from  two  and  a  half  to 
seven  feet  eight  inches.  The  highest  spring-tide  yet  observed 
was  seven  feet  eight  inches ;  the  neap  are  from  two  and  a  half  to 
three  feet  rise.  .       ^ 


•~-f«''-'      t;?i       " 


i*.        . 


174  AllCTlC  EXPEiilENCES. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

An  impressive  Discussion. — Daylight  gains  on  the  Night. — Barometer  drops  like  a 
Cannon-ball. — Four  mock  Moons. — Day  begins  to  look  like  Day. — The  P'ox-traps. 
— Tlie  Sun  re-appears  after  an  Absence  of  one  humlred  and  tiiirty-five  Days. — 
Mock  Suns. — Si)ring  coming. — An  Ex])loring-pariy  in  Searcii  of  Cape  Constitu- 
tion.— A  Bear-tiglit  with  Dogs. — New  light  on  Cartography. — Tired  of  canned 
Meat. 

"Last  month  sucb  an  astonishing  proposition  was  made  to 
me  that  1  liave  never  ceased  thinking  of  it  since.  The  time  may 
come  when  it  may  be  proj)er  for  me  to  narrate  all  the  circum- 
stances. It  grew  out  of  a  discus.sion  as  to  the  feasibility  and  ex- 
pediency of  attempting  to  get  farther  north  ne.\t  summer.  My 
own  opinion  is  that  we  ought  to  do  all  we  can  to  carry  out  Caj)- 
tain  Hall's  wishes,  and  the  just  expectations  of  the  Government 
and  the  country.  If  the  8ea.son  Hh<»uld  prove  as  favorable  as  it 
was  last  year,  there  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not  reach  the 
pole  itsi'lf  It  would  l)e  a  lasting  disgraw;  not  to  utilize  to  tlie 
utmost  a  ship  tittctj  out  wiili  such  care  and  cxfK-nsi'.  It  is  enough 
to  make  Captain  Hall  titir  in  UIm  ic^-cold  gruvt;  to  hcur  aoiiiu  uf 
the  t^ilk  that  goes  on. 

'*The  laitt  gale  madi'  wild  work  with  UiMMlftnd  the  bcrgf<;  at 
one  time  rlcaring  tlx*  Htniit  of  tli«'  tioe-icf*,  and  driving  it  in  a  pack 
bc&irt;  It.  The  KM'lxTgM  have  aliio  been  drivcii  togi'th<T.  and  the 
htimmtx'kM  thrown  up  in  h<>af)ii  m  tf  the  very  ice  dttiiuttN  lia<i 
l>i'<'fi  having  one  grand  wt-t'». 

A  not))) .-  utt*  inpt  to  L"-t  through  or  OVW  ^M  billa  to  Uie  north ; 
but  Uie  luKV  party  if"'  r  iIjmi  tkm  rmIL 

"  f^»4,.  Th  Tl»*'  diivlifcfht  ii«  lifginnifiif  i'»  ga<ii  'm  the  n^()it  a  littie. 
Ill  <  Amy  w«  AMI  we  to  mnA  wtikmAmMf^t,  \mt 

<am\f  (m  a  litll«  mUiim  M  a  tint**,    ine  wmA  Ham  have  tofii  bttfti- 

MMVv    ^^VMMHI^K''HH9np  4    Wv  ■■  W^^  I^^HW  ■■Ww  VIMH*  QMHOI^t* 

"M  m.  Ij^iite  M^  9m4  pimmmmt  wmittim-^mAf  tl*  Mavr 

fi*»tm  tmtt>rm  n^pnrtiHi.  «b*^  i  4i<i  MM 


FOUR  MOCK-MOONS.  175 

^'Feb.  17.  A  sudden  change ;  barometer  dropped  like  a  cannon- 
ball;  sky  suddenly  overclouded,  with  violent  squalls  of  wind 
from  the  south-east,  backing  to  the  north-west,  and  then  veering 
again  to  the  south-east;  next,  snow-drift.  It  is  now  blowing  at 
the  rate  of  fifty-eight  miles  an  hour.  These  gales  last  two  or 
three  days;  we  have  had  them  alternating  with  a  few  days  of 
pleasant  weather  nearly  all  the  winter. 

"/l/y.  21.  The  last  gale  continued  with  variable  winds,  and  as 
varying  velocities,  for  three  days.  Last  night  there  was  another 
paraselene,  more  complicated  than  the  former.  There  were  the 
four  false  moons  besides  the  true — five  in  all.  The  true  nioo:i  was 
surrounded  by  a  halo,  which  also  embraced  two  of  the  false 
ones ;  while  the  other  two  had  a  separate  halo,  making  a  large 
circle  concentric  with  the  first.  The  two  mock  moons  nearest 
to  the  true  showed  the  prismatic  colors.  It  was  a  beautiful  and 
cuiious  sight 

*'/W>.  22.  Day  is  beginning  to  look  like  day,  or  rather  dawn. 
We  do  not  see  the  stars  any  more  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  but 
neither  do  we  see  the  sun  yet  For  over  three  mouths  we  have 
leen  the  stars  in  tiio  day-time  whenever  thi;  sky  was  unclouded, 
and  the  moon  wh<'n  it  was  not  stormy.  Much  of  that  time  the 
suirs  were  very  bright  and  the  ukhui  also. 

"Sumlni/,  f-'ih.  2'k  No  tH?rvice;  walked  over  to  Captain  Ilalli 
KraTi'.  Always  Metm  to  walk  lu  that  ilireetion.  It  is  now  get- 
tinj<  no  mueh  lighter  that  we  »hall  be  able  U)  do  -oin.tliing,  I 
hofM',  iir»n.  An  yet,  the  hunting  ban  ainouiited  t«i  nolhin;; ;  where 
there  in  water  an«  <iay  ict;  in  (bund  the  next. 

** Nothing  Ui  ri-etmi;  tiriH  a  gale,  thin  a  (inow  itri#.  ^«fi 
m||ib11ii,  tJwti  fair  weatbfr,  and  rt'peat  Thw  fc*rntula  w«*uhl  do 
far  the  whtAe.  winter,  witli  i*hght  variilMimL 

**M,  m.  A  fi^anam  iky.  tkm  Mm  hm  tkom^id  himself  onee 
iBOfW.  Hmniiiiiii  to  be  tk«  ifM  U»  m-,'  hirn.  [f  ii  ha<i  not  imm 
W9  Wtf  wttm,  we  •nOIIICi  MHNI  MMM  htm  *.  ur  day  \ti*§oife. 


iMpMlM  0»***t  tmm*  warvniy  *«  '•*{,     li  m  an*- 


mm4  m»^'^  ^f>  mmm  mm  kmn  -  P.kw 


176  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

^^ March  2.  43°  below.  Variable  weather  until  Wednesday  the 
13th,  which  was  very  pleasant,  and  in  which  we  had  a  repetition 
of  the  phenomenon  of  mock  suns,  instead  of  moons — a  parhelia 
of  three  false  suns  surrounding  the  true,  and  in  this  case,  two  of 
the  suns  exhibited  the  primary  colors. 

"The  hunters  are  very  persevering,  but  they  bring  in  nothing. 
The  animals  have  all  migrated  apparently  either  to  the  north  or 
south;  but  probably,  as  the  sun  gains  strength,  we  shall  find 
something  alive  to  repay  our  exertions.  Since  the  appearance 
of  tiie  sun  our  nights  are  less  dark ;  it  can  hardly  be  said  to  be 
dark  at  all,  but  like  a  deepened  twilight;  and  soon  we  shall  not 
have  even  that. 

''J/({/-cA  19.  Have  been  removing  the  canvas  housing  from  the 
ship.  Since  the  sun  has  a^ipeared,  it  has  been  discovered  that 
lantern  light  is  very  injurious  to  the  eyes.  It  seems  a  little  pre- 
mature, for  I  sec  a  storm  coming  up. 

^' March  20.  Last  night  a  violent  snow-storm. 

"J/«/vA21.  Gale  continues. 

"  M'irch  22.  Velocity  of  the  gale  fifty-three  miles  an  hour. 

'■'■  Murrh  23.  Clearing  ofV.  Sent  to  examine  the  fox-traps;  one 
wiiite  fox  had  been  caught  by  the  foot.  The.*?*'  traps  have  to  be 
{)laced  .some  distance  from  the  siiip.  The  fo.xes  an?  very  wary, 
and  readily  scent  <loga  or  men  at  a  long  distance.  To-day,  also, 
Hans  shot  a  female  seal  with  embryo;  Ijoth  the  skins  and  skele- 
tons of  th<»e  have  been  prepare«l  \\»  Hpecimens,  arnl  will  \ni  pre* 
nented  to  th(!  Smithsonian  Irmtitution  at  Wrtshington. 

"  M'irrh  27.  WeatJK'r  miid — alH>v»'  z<'ro  to-<lay.  1  to  3'' :  much 
wanner  than  we  have  ha*!  it.  A  wind  from  th<*  Houth-fa«t  brinirf* 
IM  a  light  Mnow,  but  it  dm'H  not  aj»fH;ar  U*  difn'jwe  the  t»nip<  lu- 
tart.  Spring  Im  coming:  mmwi  bi.'-dn,  thought  to  \n;  partrid^iii, 
were  leMi  yarttniay.  AnotlM*r  iJ«dfMnCMf«tiort,  thm  tiifie  u>  the 
ncHttli,  Ui  examine  tlw  mxithcm  f^m\—%  fkm\  lying  aliout  twi-nty* 
eifrhi  mil«i  uratli  of  Polartii  Bay — Dr.  BeiiBifl,  Mr  Bryari.  and  4o*». 
Timj  Uikm  ftinrtwii  40|^.  an^i  '  nUtwX  Ui  g»t  aa  fiv  m  C^pe 
<?<iHi<itiiti<wi.  9mA  to  imkn  mf^^j"  ^m.!  mmmmmmmk  rihwiriaiioiiifc 

**mmkm,  ik  M«  wmm,  km,  1    >"  '^^  «tM««  Mm  Ibr  At  iMi 

wMPNt  ^Mfft'      1V#  'MMhI  MBMI  IMMW  !  ;j3MR0. 

"  S>nmiit%  Mmtrk  %%,  flfffiaa  i»  it  imMrt  of  tlir  errw  «# 

^konmm :  kttt«i  «iM  Ihmw  wmA  mn         -  ti^mim     TbaM  lania  if«» 


AX  EXPLORING  TAliTY.  177 

the  soutbern  birds;  feathers  all  white,  so  that  they  are  not  easily 
seen,  which  is  a  great  protection  to  them,  but  gives  the  gunner 
much  trouble. 

"  P.M.  We  were  surprised  to  see  Mr.  Bryan  and  Joe  coming 
back  without  Dr.  Bessel ;  thought  some  accident  had  happened 
to  him.  But  it  seems  they  had  only  broken  their  sledge,  and  had 
come  back  for  another,  the  doctor  remaining  on  a  little  island  in 
the  mouth  of  the  fiord,  where  he  had  been  made  hajijiy  by  find- 
ing some  petrifactions.     They  had  left  all  the  stores  with  him. 

^^April  2.  Yesterday  Mr.  Bryan  and  Joe,  with  Uans  also,  start- 
ed off  with  two  sledges  to  rejoin  Dr.  Bessel.  Weather  continues 
fair,  and  we  arc  fitting  up  the  boats  for  an  exploring  trip  to  the 
north  next  month.  1  think  myself  it  would  be  better  to  go  in 
.sledges ;  for  though  there  is  open  water  there  is  also  much  float- 
ing ice,  and  I  am  afraid  the  boats  will  be  stove.  But  J  am  ready 
to  go  any  way  that  promises  success,  or  chance  it  any  way. 

'•''April  8.  Quite  an  excitement  to-day — the  party  from  the  fiord 
have  returned,  bringing  with  them  a  bear  which  Joe  shot,  and 
also  a  seal.  One  of  the  dogs  had  been  injured  in  the  fight  with 
the  bear,  and  is  an  object  of  great  attention  with  the  men.  This 
is  a  very  [)lucky  dog,  and  is  called  'Bear;'  it  seems  that  it  took  sev- 
eral severe  blow.s  from  the  pohir,  wiiieh  had  made  a  better  fight 
than  they  sometimes  do.  Another  dog  hud  been  thrown  with 
such  violence  against  an  ice-hummock  that  it  was  left  fur  dead, 
but  the  next  day  whowed  itself  at  their  camp  nearly  recovered. 

"They  have  made  some  curiouH  dineovrriea  in  regard  to  former 
narveya.  Having  eroHned  the  HOutljern  (iord,  which  i.s  al>out 
twenty-two  mil<*i«  wide,  tlu-y  traveled  along  ilu;  ct>a.Ht  for  forty 
inileH  in  !*<,'areh  of  (Ja|»e  Cor»«titutiot»,  but  did  not  (ind  it  it  i*i 
farther  wiUth  than  it  ih  ftlactnl  on  the  ehart:  and  a^  Dr.  BesHcl 
repo!  ii;/  ^'oiK'  -(oiith  of  the  intitud<?  whkli  Dr.  Kmm  pstm 

-m  Morions  hi'^hcKt  without  reaehinjr  ih«'  v:i\n-,  it  sbowM  or>ncIu 
•ively  that  tbefe  was  a  mtiAake  mad«'  m  xXw,  iatituikt.    Th<'y  could 
m^"  the  ialand,  }iow?ver,  which  litai  *M  Uw  mifm  hr  to  Um?  tioiith. 
InUi  ihe  lint  fiorci,  whtch  wi-  ImkI  mMtA  dU  *iil«lliiin;  they 
«mI4  mitt  pMMlnlt  wmm  than  lmmt§  miiai  an  mmmm  of  tlie 

nth  wbk'h  it  waa  filled ;  but  liaving  mmtm^ 
#1  mmm  et  ^b«t,  A^f  mtM  tm  tliat  tlw  fl9«4  turmitiMMi  m  m 

m  •  tmtk  I— <t  rty  Mtmllm  i»  ter  aa  A» 
flw  ikmm  9«M  Mgb  md  »»siijr.    M  mmm 


178 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


points  the  rocks  were  almost  perpendicular,  and  from  six  to  sev- 
en hundred  feet  high. 

"  South  of  this  fiord  they  found  another,  smaller — not  named — 
which  was  also  beset  with  icebergs,  and  apparently  between  thirty 
and  forty  miles  long.  Several  glaciers  were  seen,  but,  I  believe, 
not  examined.  It  was  in  this  most  southerly  fiord  that  the  bear 
was  killed.  They  went  as  far  south  as  80°  45'  N.  Hans,  who 
was  with  Morton  when  he  supposed  he  had  seen  the  open  Polar 
Sea,  perceived  on  this  occasion  that  he  was  farther  north  than  he 
had  been  then.  The  party  would  have  pushed  on  to  Cape  Con- 
stitution, but  could  not  get  their  sledges  over  the  steep  hills  along 
the  coast,  and  the  shore-ice  was  so  invaded  by  open  water  that 
they  could  not  venture  to  trust  to  it.  As  it  was,  they  had  to  car- 
ry their  sledges  at  several  points. 

'■'■April  16.  Mercury  has  fallen  several  degrees — getting  much 
colder;  the  strait  now  choked  with  ice,  which  has  drifted  in, 
filling  it  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see.  From  the  summit  of  Prov- 
idence Berg  there  is  no  open  water  visible.  The  weather  is  fine 
and  calm,  but  cold.  The  sun  is  continually  above  the  true  ho- 
rizon now,  though  at  times  hidden  from  our  view  by  the  hills. 
We  may  now  say  it  is  always  day. 

'■'■April  19.  The  two  Esquimaux  have  gone  off  on  a  hunt. 
There  is  u  general  desire  for  some  fresh  meat.  We  have  every 
thing  on  board  but  this.  There  was  nothing  spared  in  the  out- 
fit of  the  Polaris.  All  the  canned  food  has  turned  out  good,  and 
some  of  iu  is  really  excellent;  but  a  change  of  diet  is  desirable, 
and  fresh  meat  is  necessary  for  health  in  these  regions. 


BKAI.3. 


OFF  ON  A  SLEDGE-JOURNEY.  179 


CHAPTER  Xlir. 

Sledge  vs.  Boat. — What  Chester  would  do  when  he  got  Home. — Photographing  a 
Faihire. — Off  on  a  Sledge-joiiniey  with  Vr.  Meyers,  Joe,  and  Hans. — Habits  of 
the  Musk -cattle. — Peculiar  strategic  Position. — Encounter  a  Herd. — How  the 
Young  are  concealed. — Dull  Sport. — Newman  Bay. — Preparing  for  Boat-jour- 
neys.— What  does  he  mean? — Climatic  Changes. — Glaciers. — Wonderful  Sports- 
men.— The  Ice  thick  and  hummocky. — A  dangerous  Leak. 

"Dr.  Bessel  wishes  to  go  in  sledges  to  the  north.  He  has 
made  a  formal  request  to  the  captain  to  that  effect.  I  believe 
he  got  for  answer  that  'he'  (Bud.)  'intended  to  take  the  boats 
and  go  north  himself.'  But  no  one  thinks  he  will  go.  I  wish 
to  go  with  a  sledge  myself,  and  shall  soon  make  the  proposition, 

^^ April  23.  Joe  and  Hans  have  returned  from  their  hunt.  Have 
had  good  success,  having  shot  seven  musk-oxen.  They  had  to 
leave  three  in  the  igloo  they  had  built,  as  the  dogs  could  only 
haul  four.     A  stiff  breeze  from  the  north-east. 

"Had  a  talk  with  Chester  about  the  astounding  proposition 
made  to  me  in  the  winter.  We  agreed  that  it  was  monstrous, 
and  must  be  prevented.  Chester  said  he  was  determined,  when 
he  got  home,  to  expose  the  matter. 

'^ April  27.  Mr.  Chester,  with  the  two  Esquimaux  and  one  of 
the  men,  took  a  couple  of  sledges  and  went  off  for  the  musk-oxen 
left  in  the  hut;  also  to  find  open  water,  if  they  can. 

"i/ay  1.  Had  a  talk  with  Captain  Buddington  about  a  sledge- 
journey  to  the  north  ;  he  did  not  think  it  practicable.  Why  he 
thinks  thus,  I  know  not;  it  could  not  do  any  harm  for  me  to 
try.     Perhaps  he  may  change  his  mind  yet. 

"Dr.  Bessel  has  been  trying  to  get  some  photographs;  so  far, 
not  much  success.  He  tried  to  photograph  Captain  Hall's  grave; 
but  it  was  too  dark  then. 

"Three  days  ago,  a  gale  with  snow-drift  sent  the  ship  against 
the  berg,  causing  her  to  careen  considerably.  Have  set  men  to 
cut  away  the  i-^e  so  as  to  free  her  before  high  water,  or  worse 
damage  wi'-  "ome  of  it, 

"P.M.  Mr.  Cde^.  -  and  party  returned;  they  had  started  in  the 


180 


AKCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


direction  of  Newman  Bay,  but  got  only  about  twenty  miles. 
Could  not  tell  about  the  water,  whether  it  was  open  or  not,  as 
they  had  taken  an  inland  course.  They  had  met  with  some 
musk-oxen,  and  killed  two.  Bear -tracks  have  been  observed 
within  half  a  mile  of  the  ship,  and  consequently  no  one  cares  to 
go  fur  unarmed. 

^'■Sunday.  Yesterday  a  sharp  storm  from  the  north,  with  furi- 
ous snow-drift,  which  continued  until  this  morning.  The  veloc- 
ity of  the  gale  was  rated  at  lifty-three  miles  per  hour. 

'•'' Matj  9.  I  have  at  last  got  a  couple  of  sledges,  to  try  and  get 
to  the  northward  ;  Mr.  Meyers,  Joe,  and  Hans  will  accompany  me. 
We  start  now  (-i  a.m.);  shall  get  to  Newman  Bay,  and  farther, 
if  possible. 


'■'■May^  Evening.  Got  back  to  the  ship,  having  been  gone  six 
days.  We  took  an  east-north-east  direction  inland,  and  succeed- 
ed in  reaching  Newman  Bay,  and  from  thence  went  on  in  the 
same  general  direction,  inclining  more  to  the  north,  until  we  reach- 
ed lat.  82°  9'.  Mr.  Meyers  surveyed  the  shores  of  Newman  Bay. 
At  the  end  of  this  there  is  a  glacier,  such  as  is  found  in  so  many 
of  the  bays  and  fiords  of  Greenland,  I  paid  my  principal  atten- 
tion to  getting  game,  as  the  ship's  company  was  in  want  of  fresh 
meat.  There  was  plenty  to  be  found ;  I  soon  noticed  the  tracks 
of  musk-oxen,  all  showing  that  they  had  come  from  the  south- 
east. Newman  Bay  runs  south-east  and  north-west,  and  the  oxen 
came  from  the  interior — from  the  head  of  the  bay.  One  day  we 
came  upon  a  large  herd  of  them.     They  act  very  curiously  when 


SHOOTING  MUSK-CATTLE.  181 

attacked.  They  all  form  round  in  a  circle,  stern  to  stern,  and 
so  await  an  attack.  The  dogs  surround  them  and  keep  them  at 
bay.  Now  and  then  a  dog  gets  tossed.  Joe  and  I  fired  and  re- 
loaded as  fast  as  we  could;  the  animfils  made  no  rush  at  us. 
We  killed  eight,  and  the  rest  ran  off.  Having  secured  our  slain, 
we  hauled  one  of  them  to  the  encampment.  We  had  a  heavy 
piece  of  butchering  to  do  to  skin  it,  and  cut  up  the  best  pieces  to 
save  for  the  ship. 

"  The  next  day  wc  followed  up  the  trail,  and  came  up  with 
them  ;  bagged  four  more ;  but  we  were  too  far  from  camp  to  get 
them  there  without  more  help.  These  cattle  develop  their  great 
weight  on  what  looks  like  very  slender  diet;  their  food  is  the 
moss  and  lichens  which  grow  on  the  rocks,  and  to  obtain  it  they 
have  first  to  scrape  away  the  snow  with  their  hoofs.  I  forgot 
to  mention  that  there  were  some  calves  with  the  herd,  three  of 
which  were  killed.  We  did  not  see  them  at  first,  for  at  the  ap- 
proach of  danger  the  young  ones  get  under  the  parents'  body, 
and  the  hair  of  the  musk-ox  is  so  long  that,  almost  touching  the 
ground,  it  hangs  like  a  curtain  before  t'le  young,  completely  con- 
cealing them  from  view.  The  musk-ox  is  a  very  heavy  crea- 
ture ;  several  of  those  which  we  shot  would  weigh  from  five  to 
six  hundred  pounds  apiece.  Their  legs  are  very  short  in  pro- 
portion to  their  size  and  weight.  It  is  not  very  exciting  sport, 
for  there  is  no  more  chance  of  missing  them  than  the  side  of  a 
house.  When  they  have  been  checked  by  the  dogs,  and  got 
themselves  in  a  circle,  there  is  nothing  to  do  but  to  walk  up  and 
shoot  them. 

"Saw  a  few  white  foxes;  they  are  very  different  from  the 
musk-ox,  and  will  lead  one  a  fine  chase ;  and  it  requires  a  skillful 
marksman  to  hit  them,  for  they  are  so  swift  in  their  movements, 
and  so  cunning,  you  think  you  have  them,  and  the  next  moment 
they  are  out  of  sight.  We  saw  no  reindeer  nor  wolves.  These 
Esquimaux  dogs  are  wolves  enough  for  me.  We  saw  very  little 
open  water — a  few  leads  in  the  floes,  and  that  was  all. 

"  Newman  Bay  would  average  seven  miles  in  width,  and  is 
sixty  or  seventy  in  length.  There  appear  to  be  two  small  islands 
near  the  head  of  it. 

"Sent  off  the  two  Esquimaux  and  two  of  the  men,  to  bring  home 
the  rest  of  the  musk-meat.     We  brought  eight,  and  four  calves. 

"A  few  lemmings  (the  M.  iorquatus)  have  been  seen.     One  of 


182  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

the  men  caught  a  live  one,  and  the  carpenter  found  a  dead  one. 
These  lemmings  are  small  gnawing  mammals.  Sometimes  called 
the  Arctic  mouse,  they  diflfer  considerably  from  the  common,  in 
having  sharp  sickle-shaped  claws,  the  two  middle  ones  of  the 
fore  feet  being  extraordinarily  long  for  a  creature  only  about  five 
inches  in  its  whole  length.  These  creatures  inhabit  the  southern 
as  well  as  the  north  Polar  regions,  but  are  not  found  elsewhere. 
They  do,  however,  work  down  a  little  below  the  Arctic  circle  to- 
ward Hudson  Bay,  They  burrow  in  sphagnous  swamps  in  sum- 
mer, and  between  stones  and  rocks  in  winter,  where  they  feed  on 
roots  and  moss.  When  they  travel  they  make  a  perfectly  straight 
course,  and  only  an  absolutely  insurmountable  obstacle  is  suffi- 
cient to  turn  them  aside. 

^''  May  20.  One  of  the  boats  has  been  sent  over  the  ice  on  sledges 
to  Cape  Lupton,  four  miles  to  the  northward,  as  that  was  the  only 
place  to  launch  her.  Between  here  and  there,  the  channel  being 
narrower,  the  ice  is  still  packed ;  above  Cape  Lupton  open  water 
appears  earlier  than  in  our  vicinity.  The  ice  up  there  looks 
weak.  Weather  very  pleasant  now;  the  snow  disappearing 
from  the  mountains,  and  the  pack-ice  softening.  Another  sledge- 
expedition,  with  Joe  and  Ilans,  has  gone  to  bring  to  the  ship  the 
remaining  musk-oxen,  also  the  snow -tents  and  sleeping-bags, 
which  were  left  on  the  preceding  trip. 

'■^May  24,  25.  Another  boat  has  been  transported  to  Cape  Lup- 
ton, and  provisions  and  stores  are  now  being  forwarded.  Noth- 
ing will  do  but  explorations  by  boat.  I  am  going  in  one,  though 
I  have  expressed  my  opinion  plainly  that  we  could  do  nothing 
with  boats  at  this  time  of  the  year.  The  ice  begins  to  move  and 
the  water  to  show  between  the  cracks,  but  the  strong  current 
packs  it  in  the  narrow  channel, 

"  P,M,  Hans  found  a  piece  of  an  Esquimau  sledge  on  some  ele- 
vated ground  about  three  miles  from  the  ship,  to  the  northward 
of  our  position,  toward  Cape  Lupton,  It  had  doubtless  been 
there  a  long  time,  but  shows  that  the  Esquimaux  have  formerly 
inhabited  this  region.  It  may  be  that  it  was  only  a  summer  en- 
campment, but  every  thing  indicates  that  they  have  been  here, 
and  most  likely  they  came  from  the  west  coast.  They  would 
hardly  come  overland  from  Southern  Greenland,  because  they 
could  not  pass  the  glaciers  which  pour  down  the  eastern  coast, 
particularly  the  great  Humboldt  Glacier,  which  flows  from  an 


WONDERFUL  SJ'ORTSMEN.  183 

immense  inland  mer  de  ylace.  There  are  many  things  which  in- 
dicate that  the  climate  of  North  Greenland  has  altered  since  its 
early  history,  and  that  it  is  much  colder  now  than  it  was  then. 

'■^ April  30.  Two  of  the  men  who  had  been  off  on  a  long  walk 
reported  that  they  had  seen  tracks  of  bears  near  some  fresh-water 
ponds,  and  also  musk-oxen.  Two  of  the  latter  were  resting  on 
the  snow  at  the  foot  of  a  hill,  near  one  of  these  ponds.  At  a  dis- 
tance of  several  hundred  yard:^  the  creatures  perceived  the  men, 
and  suddenly  rose,  when  the  men  fired  at  ihem.  While  Sieman 
was  reloading,  Kruger  called  his  attention  to  the  fact  that  one  of 
the  animals  was  making  for  him.  in  the  rear,  and  was  coming  on 
at  all  speed.  Sieman  retreated,  to  get  an  opportunity  to  reload. 
In  the  mean  time  the  valorous  creature  was  joined  by  the  others, 
when  they  halted,  and  assumed  their  particular  tactics,  heretofore 
described.  The  men,  both  of  whom  had  retreated  to  a  consider- 
able disiat.cp,  being  surprised  at  the  animal  showing  fight,  fired 
again,  killing  the  female,  which  instantly  fell,  while  the  male,  with 
the  calf,  ^ook  to  flight.  We  afterward  ascertained  that  in  accom- 
plishing this  feat  they  had  expended  three  hundred  halls !  One 
of  the  men  admitted  he  had  fired  seventy  shots.  They  did  not 
pursue  the  fugitive.  After  hearing  their  story,  five  of  the  crew 
volunteered  to  go  oat  V7ith  a  sleigh  and  bring  home  the  game, 
and  also  to  try  and  find  the  two  which  had  escaped. 

"i/a?/  31.  The  men  have  returned  with  the  three  animals,  hav- 
ing discovered  and  killed  the  male  and  calf.  Some  bares  were 
seen,  but  none  taken.  Some  of  the  men  go  out  every  few  days 
hunting.  A  partridge  and  snow-bird  were  shot  to-day.  The 
Esquimaux  have  been  off  to  Newman  Bay,  and  brought  back 
fwo  seals. 

"e/wne  3.  The  ship  has  made  so  much  water  that  the  donkey- 
engines  have  been  started ;  after  four  hours'  work  she  was  pret- 
ty well  freed  for  the  time,  but  unless  the  leak  is  stopped  it  will 
get  worse. 

"June  4.  At  the  request  of  Captain  Buddington,  I  went  to-day 
about  twenty -five  miles  northward  to  examine  the  state  of  the 
ice,  and  to  report  to  him  upon  the  prospects  of  success  for  a 
boat  expedition.  Joseph  Mauch  accompanied  me.  I  found  the 
ice  closely  impacted,  very  rough,  thick,  and  hummocky;  not 
only  filling  the  channel,  but  crushing  against  the  land.  I  exam- 
ined carefully  for  leads,  but  could  see  none ;  continued  on  the 


184  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

search  for  about  twenty- eight  hours,  and  then  returned  to  the 
ship.  I  sent  in  my  report  in  writing  to  Captain  Buddington,  ex- 
pressing my  opinion  that  nothing  could  be  done  with  boats  at 
that  time. 

"e/wne  5.  The  continued  warm  weather  is  telling  on  the  snow 
ana  ice  which  surrounds  the  vessel ;  the  ice  is  loosened,  and  the 
vessel,  feeling  the  water,  is  rising  steadily. 

"  Discovered  to-day  a  dangerous  leak  on  the  starboard  side  of 
.  the  stern,  at  the  six-foot  mark ;  two  planks  were  badly  split.  No 
wonder;  the  strain  has  been  tremendous,  with  her  stem  resting 
on  the  foot  of  the  iceberg  above  the  level  of  the  stern  all  winter. 
In  the  men's  quarters,  in  the  forepart  of  the  ship,  they  say  they 
can  hear  the  water  entering  at  flood-tide. 

^'■June  6.  Some  attempt  made  to  stop  the  leak;  have  not  ''■et 
succeeded.  Chester  has  been  out,  and  reports  that  there  is  now 
a  practicable  opening  for  the  boats. 


TWO  BOAT-PARTIES  AKllANGED.  185 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Two  Boat-parties  arranged. — A  Disaster. — Chester's  Boat  crashed  in  the  Ice. — The 
"Historical  Flag"  lost. — Chester  takes  the  patent  Canvas  Boat. — Captain  Tyson's 
Boat-party.  —  Reach  Newman  Bay. — Dr.  Bessel's  Know-blindness. — Drift-wood. 
— Extinct  Glaciers. — Unfavorable  Condition  of  the  Ice. — A  Proposal  rejected. — 
Return  to  the  Ship. 

• 

"  Our  parties  arc  now  arranged,  Mr.  Chester  will  take  charge 
of  one  boat,  and  with  him  will  go  Mr.  Meyers  and  four  men :  Fr. 
Jamka,  F.  Anthing,  II.  Sieman,  and  Kruger.  I  shall  take  the  oth- 
er boat,  and  will  be  accompanied  by  Dr.  Bessel  and  four  men  :  II. 
Ilobby,  F.  Jansen.  William  Lindemann,  and  G.  Lindquist. 

'■'■June,  7,  8  p.m.  Mr.  Chester's  party  left  the  ship  with  a  sledge- 
load  of  things  for  his  boat,  which  is  awaiting  him  at  Cape  Lup- 
ton, 

^^  June  9,  P.M.  Chester's  party  have  all  returned,  having  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  their  boat,  and  nearly  their  lives.  This 
boat  was  named  the  Grant,  after  the  President.  It  happened  in 
this  way:  they  got  launched  about  noon  yesterday,  and  after 
rowing  about  a  mile  were  stopped  by  a  large  floe,  on  which  they 
halted,  and  drew  up  the  boat.  Discovering  open  water  ahead  in 
the  afternoon,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  they  hauled  her  over 
the  floe,  and  again  launched  her  in  open  water;  but  the  ice  clos- 
ing about  them,  they  only  succeeded  in  getting  a  little  over  a 
mile,  when  they  were  compelled  to  pull  up  again  on  to  a  floe — 
this  time  between  two  icebergs  grounded  on  the  shore  —  a  very 
dangerous  position ;  for  at  this  time  of  the  year — indeed,  at  any 
time  during  the  continuance  of  warm  weather — icebergs  may  ex- 
plode at  any  moment. 

"  Here  they  set  up  their  tent  and  prepared  to  spend  the  night, 
F,  Anihing  had  the  watch ;  Mr,  Chester  and  Mr.  Meyers  I'ad 
lain  down  about  twenty  yards  from  the  boat;  three  of  the  men 
were  lying  in  the  tent  close  to  the  boat.  Suddenly  the  watch 
shouted  out,  ^The  ice  is  coming  P  All  immediately  sprang  to 
their  feet  and  made  for  the  shore.  They  had  hardly  cleared  the 
icebergs,  when  the  heavy  floe,  full  of  hummocks,  came  on  with 


ia6  ARCTIC  EXI'KRIENCES. 

such  force  as  to  shatter  one  of  the  bergs,  which  fell  with  a  great 
crash,  crushing  the  boat  to  pieces;  at  the  same  time  the  })ack-iee 
crowded  in  blocks,  lapping  and  overlapping  each  other;  and  for 
a  time  it  seemed  that  they  would  lose  all ;  but  after  a  while  the 
pressure  ceased,  and  they  managed  to  get  out  on  the  ice  and  save 
some  of  their  things.  Mr.  Meyers  was  very  fortunate  in  saving 
his,  but  the  others  lost  every  thing.  Mr.  Chester  lost  even  his 
journal,  and  the  historical  flag  which  Mr.  Grinnell  had  presented 
to  Captain  Hall  just  before  the  Polaris  sailed."  [This  appears  to 
have  been  subsequently  recovered. — Ed.\  "  When  this  accident 
happened  they  were  only  about  seven  milts  from  the  ship,  so 
there  was  no  difficulty  in  walking  back;  but  they  had  to  take 
another  boat. 

"  1  called  the  cape  near  which  they  lost  the  boat  Cape  Disas- 
ter, and  the  bay  they  were  on,  beyond  Cape  Luj)ton,  Folly  Bay, 
which  I  believe  was  rather  disj^leasing  to  Mr.  Chester.  He  is 
going  to  take  the  patent  canvas  boat  and  start  again  in  a  day  .or 
two. 

'■'■June  10.  I  start  this  P.M.,  with  Dr.  Bessel  and  four  men. 

"  Newman  Bay,  June  12.  Arrived  here  without  much  trouble, 
working  at  intervals  as  I  could  get  a  lead  through  the  ice;  we 
are  stopped  here  by  a  heavy  pack  to  the  northward.  The  chan- 
nel is  open  southward  to  the  ship,  but  completely  closed  ahead. 
Must  camp  here,  and  have  hauled  up  the  boat  until  the  ice  opens 
and  gives  us  a  lead.  Have  set  up  our  tent,  and  await  the  move- 
ment of  the  ice.  Dr.  Bessel's  eyes  are  bad,  and  he  can  do  noth- 
ing; he  is  troubled  with  snow -blindness.  I  take  my  gun  in 
hopes  of  finding  game,  but  dare  not  go  out  of  sight  of  the  boat, 
lest  I  should  miss  a  chance  of  working  up,  should  a  lead  open. 
The  boat  is  heavy,  and  all  hands  are  needed  to  handle  her. 
Shot  some  eider-ducks,  gulls,  and  dovekies;  saw  some  brent 
geese. 

'■June  17.  Mr.  Chester  has  at  last  arrived  in  that  patent  boat; 
she  is  dreadfully  slow — makes  about  three  miles  an  hour.  They 
got  started  two  days  after  I  left,  and  have  been  all  the  week  get- 
ting up  here. 

"  They  started  at  noon  on  the  12th  from  north  of  Cape  Lupton, 
to  which  they  were  brought  in  dog -sledges  by  Joe  and  Hans, 
who  returned  to  the  ship;  but  that  day  could  not  find  a  lead. 
The  next  day  they  got  launched,  and  worked  along  through  a 


EXTINCT  GLACIERS.  187 

narrow  opening  for  between  two  and  three  miles,  when  they  had 
to  haul  up,  and  draw  the  boat  ashore  on  account  of  the  ice. 
Twenty  four  hours  later  they  got  another  start,  worked  her 
through  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  then  drew  up  on  a  floe,  not  be- 
ing able  to  reach  the  shore  on  account  of  heavy  pack-ice  and 
bergs,  which  kept  them  off.  During  that  night  a  strong  north 
wind  began  to  drift  the  ice  they  were  on ;  and  being  unable  to 
escape,  they  were  drifted  back  on  their  couroe  all  night,  and  in 
the  morning  found  themselves  south  of  Cape  Lupton.  About 
7  A.M.  the  ice  separated,  and  they  got  a  lead  to  the  north,  and 
joined  us. 

"  At  present  we  can  get  no  farther,  as  there  is  no  open  water ; 
but  as  the  ice  is  setting  south,  we  hope  the  channel  will  be  clear- 
ed before  long.  Weather  is  pleasant.  Little  willows,  that  are 
more  like  a  vine  than  trees,  running  only  a  few  inches  from  the 
ground,  are  found  in  the  ravines.  Mosses  and  flowers  are  now 
to  be  seen  everywhere.  The  doctor  has  been  suffering  from 
snow-blindness,  and  will  return  to  the  "ship  at  the  first  opportu- 
nity, lie  is  quite  discouraged.  A  little  drift-wood  has  been 
picked  up  on  the  bay  shore,  apparently  small  branches  of  trees, 
very  much  worn  and  wave  -  tossed.  All  the  pieces  are  quite 
small — the  largest  two  or  three  feet  long,  and  two  and  a  half  or 
three  inches  thick  ;  most  of  the  pieces  much  smaller.  The  men 
burned  some  to  make  a  fire,  but  Di'.  Bessel  has  saved  some  speci- 
mens. It  was  not  easy  telling  what  they  were.  The  experts 
thought  they  were  black- walnut,  ash,  and  red  pine.  There  is 
nothing  which  grows  around  here  any  thing  like  it. 

''Mr.  Meyers  brought  with  him  a  copper  cylinder,  and  having 
made  a  record  of  Captain  Hall's  death,  with  latitude  and  longi- 
tude of  the  place  of  deposit,  a  hole  was  dug  in  the  ground,  into 
which  the  cylinder  was  put,  and  then  stones  piled  over  it  in  such 
a  form  as  would  at  once  be  recognized  as  artificial,  if  any  other 
humun  eyes  are  destined  to  gaze  around  on  this  solitary  place. 

"  There  appear  signs  around  Newman  Bay  of  extinct  glaciers, 
as  the  moraines  may  be  seen  on  the  shores  ;  but  at  present  there 
is  only  one  at  the  head. 

"June  24:.  The  ice-floes  still  fill  the  channel.  One  compact 
field  of  ice  stretched  quite  across,  grazing  the  shoies  both  east 
and  west,  as  it  went  on  its  southerly  course  at  the  rate  of  nine 
or  ten  miles  a  day. 


188  ARCTIC  expp:kiexces. 

"Chester's  party  are  not  very  comfortable  in  their  canvas  boat. 
She  is  not  tit  for  such  rough  sailing  as  we  have  to  encounter;  it 
is  square  fore  and  aft,  and  the  slowest  craft  I  ever  saw.  She 
would  do  for  a  party  of  children  to  paddle  about  on  a  calm  and 
placid  lake;  but  you  might  as  well  put  an  egg-shell  in  the  way 
of  an  ice-pack  as  this  patent  contrivance. 

^^June  27.  Have  made  several  attempts  to  get  farther  to  the 
north,  but  have  not  been  able  to  force  a  way  through  the  pack. 
If  we  had  sledges  and  the  dogs,  we  might  have  done  something. 
We  have  not  been  above  81°  57'  26".  The  last  two  days,  strong 
northerly  breeze,  with  snow-squalls. 

"It  becoming  daily  more  apparent  that  nothing  could  be  done 
with  the  boats,  I  proposed  to  Chester  to  unite  our  two  crews  and 
organize  a  pedestrian  exploring-party.  My  plan  was  to  go  on 
ahead,  either  alone  or  with  one  or  two  companions,  and  divide 
all  the  rest  of  the  company  into  squads,  or  rather  couples,  who 
should  follow  in  a  given  direction — as  nearly  due  north  as  the 
lay  of  the  land  permitted;  and  that  each  party  following  should 
make  caches  at  certain  described  intervals,  so  that  we  should  have 
had  something  to  eat  on  the  return  journey.  In  this  way,  taking 
our  guns  with  us  to  assist  in  procuring  food,  we  could  have 
walked  to  the  pole  itself  if  the  land  extended  so  far,  without  any 
insuperable  difficulty  during  the  Arctic  summer,  when  game  of 
various  kinds  is  so  abundant;  but  I  could  get  no  one  to  join. 
Some  were  indisposed  to  the  exertion  of  walking,  and  some  did 
not  know  how  to  use  the  compass,  and  were  probably  afraid  of 
getting  lost;  and  so  that  project  fell  through.  I  then  consulted 
with  Mr.  Chester  about  waiting  and  trying  to  get  farther  north. 
He,  as  well  as  I,  was  anxious  to  get  up  to  the  83°,  if  possible.  If 
the  ship  would  have  waited  for  us,  there  might  have  been  an  op- 
portunity; but  Captain  Buddington  had  told  me  plainly,  if  he 
'  got  a  chance  to  get  out  he  would  not  wait ;'  so  that  there  seemed 
no  other  course  to  pursue  but  to  get  back  to  the  Polaris. 

'■^  July  4:.  Keceived  orders  uom  Captain  Buddington  to  return, 
to  the  ship.  Mr.  Chester  says  '  he  won't  go.'  He  had  sent  two 
of  his  men  for  additional  provisions,  and  Buddington  wished  to 
detain  them,  but,  at  their  urgent  request,  allowed  them  to  return, 
and  sent  the  order  by  them.    They  report  the  ship  leaking  badly. 

"Overheard  two  of  the  men  talking;  they  'thouglit,  if  the 
captain  got  a  good  chance,  be  would  sail  south  without  waiting 


RETURN  TO  THE  SHIP, 


189 


for  any  one.'  They  were  very  cool,  and  said  they  '  didn't  care,' 
appearing  to  think  they  could  get  down  the  coast  in  boats  before 
cold  weather  set  in. 

'"''Juhj  6.  Uans  came  up  on  a  sledge,  brin^nng  a  written  order 
to  Chester  to  return,  which  he  passed  to  me.  Dr.  Bessel  took  the 
opportunity  of  going  back  on  the  sledge  with  Hans.  The  state 
of  the  ice  is  such  that  we  can  get  neither  north  nor  south  with  the 
boats.  It  has  turned  out  just  as  I  said  it  would;  with  sledges 
we  might  have  done  something.  As  there  was  no  using  the  boat, 
I  concluded  to  haul  mine  up  in  as  safe  a  place  as  I  could  find, 
and  then  walk  back  to  the  ship.  Our  boat  was  so  heavy,  with 
its  contents,  that  my  crew  was  not  sufficient  to  haul  it  over  the 
rough  hummocky  ice,  and  Chester  let  me  have  some  of  his  crew 
to  assist.  We  were  between  Cape  Brevoort  and  Cape  Sumner 
when  we  started,  and  it  took  us  nearly  forty-eight  hours  of  most 
fatiguing  labor  to  reach  v,  ravine  near  Cape  Sumner,  where  the 
boat  could  be  partly  protected,  and  there  we  hauled  her  up, 
placing  the  tent,  and  what  stores  I  was  obliged  to  leave,  as  well 
secured  as  possible,  and,  this  accomplished,  set  out  to  walk  to  the 
ship. 

^'Juhj  8.  Back  again  on  board  the  Polaris.  Stood  the  walk 
of  over  twenty  miles  very  well.     So  did  the  men. 


AEOTIC   WOLVES. 


190 


ARCTIC  EXI'ERIENCES. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Engirjcer's  Report. — A  new  Inscription. — A  gentle  Awakening. — Providence  Berg 
disrupted. — Having  "enough  of  it." — Lost  Opportunities. — The  Advent  of  little 
Esquimau  "Charlie  Polaris."  —  Beset  near  ('ape  Frazier.  —  Alcohol  Master. — 
Interruption  of  his  morning  "Nip." — Drifting  with  the  Floe. — Pack-ice  in  Smith 
Sound. — The  Oil-boiler. — The  bearded  Seal. — Preparations  for  spending  another 
Winter  in  the  North. — A  south-westerly  Gale. 

"Mr.  Sciiuman,  the  engineer,  reports  that  the  pumps  had  be- 
come clioked,  and  that  some  water  had  got  into  the  lower  hold, 
and  injured  a  quantity  of  provisions. 


OBAVE  OF  OAPTAIN  UALU 


"As  there  is  no  probability  that  we  shall  be  allowed  to  do  any 
thing  more — the  captain  being  in  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to 
get  south — I  have  been  over  to  see  if  Captain  Ilall's  grave  had 


A  NEW  INSCRIPTION,  191 

been  put  in  order ;  when  he  was  buried  it  was  too  dark  to  work, 
and  the  ground  frozen  too  hard  to  do  much  except  cover  it  with 
stones  for  security.  There  was  a  board  at  the  head,  with  the  in- 
scription, written  in  pencil,  by  the  engineer,  Mr.  Schuman : 

'"TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  C.  F.  HALL, 

LATE  COMMANDER  OF  THE  NORTH  POLAR  EXPEDITION. 

Died  Nov.  8,  1871. 

Aged  50  Years.' 

Some  of  the  men,  particularly  Sieman,  took  great  interest  in  se- 
curing the  grave.     Captain  Ilall  was  generally  liked  by  the  men. 

"Mr,  Chester  has  sent  in  three  of  his  men.  They  walked  the 
distance  in  twelve  hours;  but  Mr.  Meyers  was  twenty-eight  hours 
on  his  way.  He  got  caught  in  a  snow-drift  shortly  after  starting, 
and,  being  in  danger  of  losing  his  way,  was  obliged  to  seek  the 
shelter  of  a  rock  until  the  storm  abated.  The  men  report  that 
Mr.  Chester,  with  one  man,  Sieman,  remained  to  try  and  save  his 
boat.  Perceiving  that  he  could  not  get  north,  he  started  to  get 
his  boat  ashore,  which  the  roughness  of  the  ice  made  very  diffi- 
cult; on  the  way  they  dropped  many  things,  and  had  to  go  back 
for  them.  After  about  ten  hours'  hard  labor  and  travel,  they 
reached  the  ^and  where  I  had  left  my  boat,  pretty  well  broken 
down,  Howe  er,  they  got  to  the  shore,  and  leaving  the  boat  as 
it  was,  made  th  ^  best  of  their  way  to  the  ship,  bringing  such 
clothing  and  other  things  as  they  could  carry, 

"Jwty  24.  A  gale  from  the  north,  which  I  hope  will  blow  the 
ice  out  of  the  bay, 

'■'■Julli  25.  Cleared  off;  the  bay  partially  opened;  much  water 
in  the  hold.  I  wanted  the  captain  to  divide  the  crew  into  three 
watches,  and  so  have  all  hands  take  a  turn  at  the  pumps,  to  save 
fuel.  Shortly  after  there  was  a  sudden  accession  of  water  in  the 
hold,  and  it  was  suggested  to  the  captain  that  some  one  in  the 
engine-room  had  willfully  opened  the  stop-cocks  and  flooded  her, 
so  thfit  those  in  favor  of  hand-pumping  'should  have  enough  of 
it'  Captain  Buddington  went  down  to  the  engine-room  to  see 
about  it,  but  had  the  door  shut  in  his  face  for  his  pains!  lie  has 
now  divided  the  company  into  two  watches  for  pumping;  but 
after  the  first  flood  was  got  rid  of,  the  ship  was  easily  kept  free 
with  from  two  to  four  minutes  pumping  every  hour.  Some  of 
the  timbers  appear  to  have  swollen  and  closed  the  seams. 


192  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

"  I  talked  with  Chester  about  fixing  Captain  Hall's  grave ;  and 
he  got  a  board  and  shaped  it  out  properly,  and  cut  the  inscrip- 
tion in  very  nicely ;  and  then  we  fixed  it  up,  so  that  the  grave 
now  looks,  though  dreary  enough,  not  quite  so  neglected  as  it  did. 

"  The  channel  still  full  of  pack-ice  and  heavy  floes. 

^^Atig.  1.  Still  in  Polaris  Bay.  What  opportunities  have  been 
lost!  and  the  expedition  is  to  be  carried  back  only  to  report  a 
few  geographical  discoveries,  and  a  few  additional  scientific  facts. 
With  patience  we  might  have  worked  up  beyond  Newman  Bay, 
and  there  is  no  telling  how  much  farther.  Some  one  will  some 
day  reach  the  pole,  and  I  envy  not  those  who  have  prevented 
the  Polaris  having  that  chance. 

"  Several  of  the  men  have  gone  back  to  Newman  Bay  to  try 
and  recover  some  valuable  instruments  of  Meyers's,  and  other 
things  which  were  left  there.  They  brought  back  all  they  could 
carry,  and  reported  the  channel  off  the  bay  to  be  full  of  ice.  The 
tent  they  left.    Three  boats  lost  on  that  ill-considered  trip. 

^^Aug.  12.  The  wife  of  the  Esquimau,  Ilans,  has  added  a  male 
member  to  the  expedition.  These  natives  have  not  outgrown 
some  of  their  savage  customs.  Like  the  squaws  of  our  Western 
Indians  and  other  uncivilized  people,  the  women  are  left  alone 
in  the  exigencies  of  childbirth,  and  free  themselves,  like  the  in- 
ferior mammals,  by  severing  the  umbilical  with  their  teeth.  They 
very  soon  recover,  but  in  the  settlements  various  customs  sup- 
posed to  conduce  to  the  welfare  of  the  child  are  deemed  neces- 
sary. Among  other  things,  the  clothes  of  the  mother  are  always 
abandoned  or  destroyed,  and  are  never  worn  again.  The  boy 
has  been  named,  by  acclamation,  'Charlie  Polaris;'  thus  combin- 
ing a  remembrance  of  our  late  commander  and  the  sh^p. 

"  P.M.  This  afternoon,  the  ice  opening,  and  a  good  lead  of  wa- 
ter appearing,  with  a  northerly  wind,  we  weighed  anchor,  and 
steamed  out  of  Polaris  Bay  about  five  o'clock. 

^Aug.  15.  Last  night,  at  midnight,  in  Kennedy  Channel,  head- 
ing for  Cape  Frazier,  during  my  watch,  Mr.  Bryan,  with  Chester, 
was  out  on  the  ice  making  some  astronomical  observations. 
When  I  went  below,  instead  of  the  ship  being  kept  to  her  course, 
she  was  allowed  to  fall  off,  and  thus  got  beset  in  the  broad  wa- 
ters of  Peabody  Bay,  or  Kane  Basin,  as  it  is  sometimes  called. 
About  8  A.M.  we  were  enabled  to  get  her  headed  right  again,  but 
could  make  no  progress,  and  anchored  to  a  floe  in  lat.  80°  2'  N. 


DRIFTING  WITH  THE  FLOE.  193 

"  We  have  only  ice-anchors  now ;  our  ground-tackle  has  been 
broken  or  lost.  One  was  broken  when  Providence  Berg  split 
up,  by  the  weight  of  a  heavy  mass  of  ice  which  fell  on  it,  and  the 
other  was  lost  under  grounded  ice  when  the  berg  pressed  us  in- 
shore. 

"  Fuel  we  are  rather  short  of.  A  great  d-^al  was  used  in  work- 
ing the  donkey-engines,  when  hand -pumping  would  have  an- 
swered, and  the  men  were  willing  to  pump ;  some  of  them  even 
commenting  on  the  waste  of  coal.  There  is  a  quantity  of  pro- 
visions left  ashore  at  Polaris  Bay, 

"  Our  floe  is  drifting,  and  taking  the  vessel  with  it,  slowly  to 
the  southward ;  we  are  at  present  in  charge  of  the  current,  as 
there  is  no  wind.  Open  water  appearing  to  the  south  during  the 
night,  got  up  a  good  head  of  steam,  and  tried  to  force  the  vessel 
through  the  ice  which  beset  us,  but  did  not  succeed,  and  had  to 
tie  up  to  the  floe  again.  Got  a  start  about  noon,  the  ice  loosen- 
ing. We  hauled  in  our  ice -anchors,  and  made  good  progress. 
Weather  fair,  and  wind  southerly.  Passed  Cape  Constitution, 
and  proceeded  until  near  midnight,  when  the  ice  closed  around 
us  again,  and  we  anchored  to  the  floe. 

"  Oct.  16.  Still  drifting  with  the  floe.  Ice  opening  here  and 
there,  but  we  get  no  chance ;  but  probably  shall  soon,  as  nar- 
whals have  appeared,  and  they  always  breathe  through  the  large 
ice-cracks.     Saw  several  to-day. 

"  P.M.  Thick  and  fofjgv.     Bv  observation  at  noon  lat.  79°  59'. 

"  Oct.  19.  Fog  hung  about  us  for  twelve  hours,  then  cleared  by 
a  fresh  northerly  breeze.  No  lead  visible,  and  we  still  drift  with 
the  floe. 

"  12  M.  Tried  to  shift  the  position  of  the  vessel,  as  we  are  in 
danger  of  being  nipped ;  the  ice  is  very  heavj/,  and  strong  press- 
ure. There  is  now  a  quantity  of  stores,  clothing,  and  some  bags 
of  coal  kept  on  deck,  so  that  they  may  be  at  hand  to  throw  over- 
board in  case  of  necessity.  The  ice  in  Smith  Sound  varies  very 
much  in  diiferent  seasons.  This  sort  of  pack-ice  baffled  Kane  in 
July  and  August,  between  Cape  Parry  and  the  Gary  Islands,  but 
it  has  been  traversed  in  August  by  several  explorers  without 
difficulty,  from  the  time  of  old  William  Baffin  down.  There 
seems  no  rule  about  it ;  probably  depends  on  the  force  and  direc- 
tion of  the  winds  when  the  ice  begins  to  break  up  in  the  north. 
The  weather  is  fine, 

18 


194  ARCTIC  EXl'ERIENCES. 

"  Oct.  23.  Made  a  few  miles,  then  found  something  was  the 
matter  with  the  boileis,  and  had  to  draw  the  fires.  The  ship 
making  considerable  water,  the  hand-pumps  were  kept  going:  if 
this  veisel  had  not  been  very  strong  she  could  not  have  gone 
througii  what  she  has.  Boilers  repaired;  and  on  ihe  morning  of 
;;he  26th  got  up  steam  again,  and  pushed  forward  about  half  a 
mile,  working  toward  the  shore,  as  the  heavy  pack  is  in  the  mid- 
'  die,  and  we  hoped  to  find  a  lead  between  it  and  the  shore  ice. 

"  P.M.  Towed  the  ship  through  a  narrow  opening  for  a  short 
distance,  but  beset  again,  and  oblig.u  to  desist.  So  we  pass  the 
days  —  boring  a  few  rods  or  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  then  tying  up 
again,  to  repeat  the  process,  with  slight  variations,  through  the 
days  and  nights.  All  around  us  lies  the  pack-ice,  with  large 
bergs  in  sight,  some  grounded,  and  others  like  sentinels  watch- 
ing the  progress  of  the  floe  to  which  we  are  fast.  Young  ice  has 
formed  over  the  open  water,  strong  enough  to  bear.  Snow  and 
rain  and  fog  have  succeeded  each  other.  Kain  is  rather  a  cu- 
riosity; but  we  have  had  a  little  to  vary  the  meteorological 
changes. 

'■'■Sept.X.  Our  summer  is  almost  over;  the  days  are  visibly 
shortening.  A  steady,  slow  drift  to  the  southward.  Some  seal 
have  appeared.     Nothing  to  record. 

"-&p^.  13.  Have  reached  lat.  79°  21'  30".  Some  walruses 
have  been  seen ;  Hans  has  shot  a  seal,  and  Joe  fired  at  a  walrus, 
but  their  hides  are  so  thick,  and  their  heads  so  impenetrable  that 
it  is  difficult  to  either  kill  or  secure  them  without  lance  or  har- 
poon. 

"  Sept.  21.  Our  coal  is  getting  so  short  that  I  think  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  oil-boiler  will  yet  be  regretted.  This  boiler  was  made 
expressly  for  the  use  of  the  expedition,  on  the  presumption  that 
we  should  be  absent  two  years  or  more,  and  of  course  we  could 
not  store  coal  enough  to  be  absent  all  that  time ;  and  it  was  ex- 
pected that  blubber  or  seal-oil  could  be  used  for  fuel.  But  what 
portion  of  it  that  did  not  go  overboard  between  Disco  and  Tossac 
was  left  at  Polaris  Bay ;  and  that  was  the  end  of  our  '  oil-boiler.' 

"  The  meat  of  the  seal  is  now  very  welcome  to  the  men,  as  a 
change  from  the  canned  food.  And  the  blubber,  too,  will  soon 
be  needed,  for  cook  and  steward  have  used  up  the  kerosene  ad 
libitum  to  kindle  fires. 

"  The  last  day  of  September  has  come,  and  though  the  open 


THE  BEARDED  SEAL.  1C;5 

water  can  be  seen  to  the  southward,  we  can  not  get  to  it;  water 
is  also  visible  to  the  north,  but  we  are  kept  in  the  p.ick.  But 
the  ice  keeps  working,  and  a  strong  gale,  I  think,  would  open  it. 
During  the  last  six  weeks  we  have  done  little  except  dril't,  wich 
now  and  then  a  spurt  at  the  engines.  In  this  time  we  have  made 
about  sixty  miles — about  ten  miles  a  week,  and  mostly  drifting. 
At  12  M.  our  latitude  was  found  to  be  70°  2'  N. ;  and  the  tempera- 
ture begins  to  suggest  the  coming  winter:  it  is  a  little  below  zero. 

"  Oct.  4.  October  came  in  fair  and  clear.  Have  passed  Rens- 
selaer Harbor,  where  Dr.  Kane  wintered  during  1853-55.  I  am 
surprised  that  in  the  latitude  of  Eensselaer  Harbor  he  should  have 
found  the  darkness  so  intense  as  he  describes  it.  It  was  not  to- 
tally dark  with  us  at  high  meridian  at  any  time  in  clear  weather, 
but  it  was  too  dark  to  travel  about  much,  or  do  any  shooting, 
unless  it  was  full  of  the  moon.  The  ice  keeps  groaning,  as  if  a 
change  of  some  kind  was  impending.  There  is  little  chance  of 
getting  home  this  fall.  We  shall  have  to  spend  another  winter 
here,  I  expect.  If  we  were  heading  the  other  way,  I  should  not 
mind  that;  but  to  go  home  without  having  done  all  we  could  is 
galling. 

"Yesterday  Joe  shot  a  large  bearded  seal  of  uncommon  size 
even  for  this  species — eight  feet  long  and  six  in  circumference. 

"  Mr.  Meyers  is  not  very  well — looks  as  though  he  had  a  touch 
of  scurvy,  fe  jal  meat  and  blood  is  a  specific  against  that  disease ; 
the  Esquimaux  rarely  have  it,  and  they  live  nearly  altogether  on 
seal-meat. 

"  Have  commenced  work  on  a  house  in  which  to  store  provis- 
ions, as  there  is  no  telling  when  the  ship  may  get  nipped.  I 
wanted  some  lumber  from  the  ship  to  build  it,  but  could  get 
only  poles  and  canvas.  Into  this  house  we  shall  remove  a  quan- 
tity of  provisions;  and  keep  clothing,  guns,  and  ammunition 
ready  on  deck  to  heave  over  at  the  shortest  notice. 

"  Oct.  4,  5.  Four  more  seals  killed ;  house  nearly  finished ; 
light  snow.  There  is  no  more  doubt  that  we  must  winter  here. 
The  men  are  cutting  fresh -water  ice  for  the  engineer  to  use  in 
the  small  boiler  which  supplies  steam  for  the  pumps.  This  boil- 
er is  badly  crystallized  inside  from  the  use  of  salt-water. 

"A  bear  has  been  tracking  round  the  ship,  but  was  not  seen 
or  scented  by  the  dogs. 

"Oc^.  9.  The  bear  was  seen  to-day  on  the  ice-floe,  about  a  mile 


196 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


from  the  ship;  the  ice  was  not  in  a  condition  to  go  in  chase  of 
him. 

"Oc^.  12.  There  has  been  a  large  number  of  seals  killed ;  they 
become  plenty  as  the  water  opens.  We  are  now  drifting  much 
more  rapidly  than  we  did,  and  within  sight  of  the  eastern  shore. 
Symptoms  of  a  gale  from  the  south-west. 


TiiK  LUMME  OF  THE  KOBTU. 


NIPPED  IN  THE  ICE,  197 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

JOURNAL  OF  GEORGE  E.  TYSON,  ASSISTANT  NAVIGATOR  ON  UNITED 
STATES  STEAMER  POLARIS,  KEPT  ON  THE  ICE-FLOE. 

Adrift. — The  fatal  Ice  Pressure.  —  "Heave  every  thing  Overboard!"  —  The  Ship 
breaks  away  in  the  Darkness. — Children  in  the  Ox-skins. — First  Night  adrift. — 
Snowed  under. — Roll-call  on  the  Ice-floe. — Efforts  to  regain  the  Ship. — The  Po- 
laris  coming! — A  terrible  Disappointment. — The  overladen  Boat. — Three  Oars, 
and  no  Rudder. — The  Ice  breaks  beneath  us. — Drifting  to  the  South-west. — Re- 
gain the  large  Floe. — Hope  of  regaini  ig  the  Polaris  abandoned. — Building  Huts. 
— Native  Igloos. — Estimating  Provisi(jns. — Locality  of  the  Separation. — Meyers's 
and  Tyson's  Opinion. — Two  Meals  a  Day. — Mice  in  the  Chocolate. — Too  cold  for 
a  Watch. — Too  weak  to  stand  firmly. — Hans  kills  and  eats  two  Dogs. — Natives 
improvident. — Lose  Sight  of  the  Sun. — The  Dogs  follow  the  Food. 

^^ Adrift^  Oct.,  1872.  Blowing  a  strong  gale  from  the  north-west. 
I  think  it  must  have  been  about  6  p.m.,  on  the  night  of  the  15th, 
when  we  were  nipped  with  the  ice.  The  pressure  was  very 
great.  The  vessel  did  not  lift  to  it  much ;  she  was  not  broad 
enough — was  not  built  flaring,  as  the  whalers  call  it;  had  she 
been  built  so  she  would  have  risen  to  the  ice,  and  the  pressure 
would  not  have  affected  her  so  much ;  but,  considering  all,  she 
bore  it  nobly.     I  was  surprised  at  her  great  strength, 

"In  the  commencement  of  the  nip,  I  came  out  of  my  room, 
which  was  on  the  starboard  side  of  the  ship,  and  looked  over  the 
rail,  and  saw  that  the  ice  was  pressing  heavily.  I  then  walked 
over  to  the  port  side.  Most  of  the  crew  were  at  this  time  gather- 
ed in  the  waist,  looking  over  at  the  floe  to  which  we  were  fasten- 
ed. I  saw  that  the  ship  rose  somewhat  to  the  pressure,  and  then 
immediately  came  down  again  on  the  ice,  breaking  it,  and  riding 
it  under  her.  The  ice  was  very  heavy,  and  the  vessel  groaned 
and  creaked  in  every  timber. 

"At  this  time  the  engineer,  Schuman,  came  running  from  be- 
low, among  the  startled  crew,  saying  that  'the  vessel  had  started 
a  leak  aft,  and  that  the  water  was  gaining  on  the  pumps,'  The 
vessel  had  been  leaking  before  this,  and  they  were  aiready  pump- 
ing— Peter  and  Hans,  I  think,  with  the  small  pump  in  the  star- 
board alley-way. 


198  ARCTIC  EXPERIENC-vX 

"  I  then  walked  over  toward  my  room  on  the  starboard  side. 
Behind  the  galley  I  saw  Sailing-master  Buddington,  and  told  him 
what  the  engineer  said.  He  threw  up  liis  .  rms,  and  yelied  out 
to  'throw  every  thing  on  the  ice!'  Instantly  every  thing  was 
confusion,  the  men  seizing  every  thing  indiscriminately,  and 
throwing  it  overboard.  These  things  had  previously  been  placed 
upon  the  deck  in  anticipation  of  such  a  catastrophe;  but  as  the 
vessel,  by  its  rising  and  falling  motion,  was  constantly  breaking 
the  ice,  and  as  no  care  was  taken  how  or  where  the  things  were 
thrown,  I  got  overboard,  calling  some  of  the  men  to  help  me,  and 
tried  to  move  what  I  could  away  from  the  ship,  so  it  should  not 
be  crushed  and  lost ;  and  also  called  out  to  the  men  on  board  to 
stop  throwing  things  till  we  could  get  the  things  already  endan- 
gered out  of  the  way ;  but  still  much  ran  under  the  ship. 

"It  was  a  dark  night,  and  I  could  scarcely  see  the  stuff — 
whether  it  was  on  the  ice  or  in  the  water.  But  we  worked  away 
three  or  four  hours,  when  the  ice  on  the  starboard  side  let  the 
ship  loose  again.  We  had  been  tied  to  the  floe  of  ice  by  ice- 
anchors  and  hawsers,  but  when  the  piece  on  the  starboard  drifted 
off  she  righted  from  her  beam-ends  and  broke  away.  I  had 
been  on  board  just  before  she  broke  loose,  and  asked  Budding- 
ton  'how  much  water  the  vessel  was  making?'  and  he  told  me, 
'no  more  than  usual.' 

"  I  found  that  the  engineer's  statement  was  a  false  alarm.  The 
vessel  was  strong,  and  no  additional  leak  had  been  made;  but  as 
the  ice  lifted  her  up^  the  little  water  in  the  hold  was  thrown  over, 
and  it  made  a  rush,  and  he  thought  that  a  new  leak  had  been 
sprung.  When  I  found  she  was  making  no  more  water,  I  went 
on  the  ice  again  to  try  and  save  the  provisions,  if  possible. 
While  so  engaged,  the  ice  commenced  cracking;  I  told  Budding- 
ton  of  it,  he  meantime  calling  out  to  'get  every  thing  back  as  far 
as  possible  on  the  ice.'  Very  shortly  after,  the  ice  exploded 
under  our  feet,  and  broke  in  many  places,  and  the  ship  broke  away 
in  the  darkness,  and  we  lost  sight  of  her  in  a  moment. 

'"Gone! 
But  an  ice-bound  honor 
Seemed  to  cling  to  air.' 

"  It  was  snowing  at  the  time  also ;  it  was  a  terrible  night.  On 
the  15th  of  October  it  may  be  said  that  the  Arctic  night  com- 
mences; but  in  addition  to  this  the  wind  was  blowing  strong 


THE  rOLAIilS  BREAKS  LOOSE.  201 

from  the  south-east;  it  was  snowing  and  drifting,  and  was  fear- 
fully dark;  the  wind  was  exceedingly  heavy,  and  so  bad  was 
the  snow  and  sleet  that  one  could  not  even  look  to  the  wind- 
ward. We  did  not  know  who  was  on  the  ice  or  who  was  on  the 
ship ;  but  I  knew  some  of  the  children  were  on  the  ice,  because 
almost  the  la^t  thing  I  had  pulled  away  from  the  crushing  heel 
of  the  ship  were  some  musk-ox  skins;  they  were  lying  across  a 
wide  crack  in  the  ice,  and  as  I  pulled  them  toward  me  to  save 
them,  I  saw  that  there  were  two  or  three  of  Ilans^s  children  rolled 
up  in  one  of  the  skins;  a  slight  motion  of  the  ice,  and  in  a  moment 
more  they  would  either  have  been  in  the  water  and  drowned  in 
the  darkness,  or  crushed  between  the  ice. 

"It  was  nearly  ten  o'clock  when  the  ship  broke  away,  and  we 
had  been  at  work  since  six ;  the  time  seemed  long,  for  we  were 
working  all  the  time.  Hannah  was  working,  but  I  did  not  see 
Joe  or  Ilans.  We  worked  till  we  could  scarcely  stand.  They 
were  throwing  things  constantly  over  to  us  till  the  vessel  parted. 

"  Some  of  the  men  were  on  small  pieces  of  ice.  I  took  the 
'little  donkey  ' — a  small  scow — and  went  for  them;  but  the  scow 
was  almost  instantly  swamped ;  then  I  shoved  off  one  of  the 
whale-boats,  and  took  off  what  men  I  could  see,  and  some  of  the 
men  took  the  other  boat  and  helped  their  companions,  so  that  we 
were  all  on  firm  ice  at  last. 

"  We  did  not  dare  to  move  about  much  after  that,  for  we  could 
not  see  the  size  of  the  ice  we  were  on,  on  account  of  the  storm 
and  darkness.  All  the  rest  but  myself — the  men,  women,  and 
children — sought  what  shelter  they  could  from  the  storm  by 
wrapping  themselves  in  the  musk-ox  skins,  and  so  laid  down  to 
rest.     I  alone  walk  the  floe  all  night. 

"Morning  came  at  last;  I  could  then  see  what  had  caused  the 
immense  pressure  on  the  ship,  though  I  knew  she  must  go  adrift 
when  I  heard  the  ice  cracking.  The  floe  to  which  the  ship  was 
fastened  had  been  crushed  and  pressed  upon  by  heavy  icebergs, 
which  was  the  iiuuiediate  cause  of  its  breaking  up.  This  I  could 
not  see  last  night,  but  I  saw  all  in  the  morning. 

"  Fortunately,  we  had  the  two  boats  on  our  piece  of  the  2oe. 
This  was  a  nearly  circular  piece,  about  four  miles  in  circumfer- 
ence. It  was  not  level,  but  was  full  of  hillocks,  and  also  ponds, 
or  small  lakes,  which  had  been  formed  by  the  melting  of  the  ice 
during  the  short  summer.     The  ice  was  of  various  thicknesses. 


202  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

Some  of  the  mounds,  or  hills,  were  probably  thirty  feet  thick, 
and  the  flat  parts  not  more  than  ten  or  fifteen.  It  was  very 
rough ;  the  hillocks  were  covered  with  snow ;  indeed,  the  sur- 
face was  all  .sDow  from  the  last  storm.  Some  of  the  men  whom  I 
now  found  on  the  ice  were  those  whom  I  had  picked  off  of  the 
smaller  piecjs  last  night  in  the  darkness.  I  could  now  see  who 
they  were.  These  men  were  thirty  or  forty  yards  from  the  main 
floe,  and  I  pushed  off  the  b  )at  and  went  for  them.  Some  of  the 
men,  too,  had  taken  ther  shipmates  off  of  small  pieces.  I  do  not 
think  any  body  was  lost  last  night  I  think  all  that  are  not  here 
are  on  the  ship.  I  should  think  they  would  soon  be  coming  to 
look  for  us. 

"  Those  who  laid  down  on  the  ice  were  all  snowed  under — but 
that  helped  to  keep  them  warm.  Perhaps  I  should  have  lain 
down  too,  if  I  had  had  any  thing  to  lie  on ;  but  the  others  had 
taken  all  the  skins,  and  I  would  not  disturb  them  to  ask  for  one. 

"  Oc^.  16.  Why  does  not  the  Polaris  come  to  our  rescue? 
This  is  the  thought  that  now  fills  every  heart,  and  has  mine  ever 
since  the  first  dawn  of  light  this  morning.  I  scanned  the  hori- 
zon, but  could  see  nothing  of  the  vessel ;  but  I  saw  a  lead  of  water 
which  led  to  the  land.  The  gale  had  abated ;  it  was  almost 
calm.  I  looked  around  upon  the  company  with  me  upon  the 
ice,  and  then  upon  the  provisions  which  wc  had  with  us.  Be- 
sides myself  there  were  eighteen  persons,  namely : 

'"Frederick  Meyers,  meterologist ;  John  Ilerron,  steward ;  William  Jackson, 
cook. — Seamen :  J.  W.  C.  Kruger  (called  Robert)  ;  Fred.  Jamka ;  William  Linder- 
mann;  Fred.  Anthing;  Gus.  Lindquist ;  Peter  Johnson. — Esquimaux:  Joe;  Han- 
nah, Joe's  wife;  Puney,  child;  Hans;  Merkut  or  Christiana,  Ilans's  wife;  Augus- 
tina,  Tobias,  Sued — children ;  Charlie  Polaris,  baby  of  Hans's.' 

"  Now,  to  feed  all  these,  I  saw  that  we  had  but  fourteen  cans 
of  pemmican,  eleven  and  a  half  bags  of  bread,  one  can  of  dried 
apples,  and  fourteen  hams;  and  if  the  ship  did  not  come  for  us, 
we  might  have  to  support  ourselves  all  winter,  or  die  of  starva- 
tion. Fortunately,  we  had  the  boats.  They  were  across  the 
crack  where  I  had  hauled  away  the  musk-ox  skins  and  found 
the  children ;  we  had  hauled  both  the  boats  on  the  ice  to  save 
them.  I  had  shortly  before  asked  Captain  Buddington  if  he 
would  haul  the  boats  on  board ;  but  he  had  only  answered  by 
ordering  every  thing  to  be  pulled  as  far  back  on  the  ice  as  pos- 
sible. 


EFFORTS  TO  REGAIN  THE  SHIP.  203 

"As  soon  as  I  could  see  to  do  so,  I  walked  across  the  floe  to 
see  where  was  the  best  lead,  so  that  we  could  get  to  shore ;  and  in 
the  mean  time  I  ordered  the  men  to  get  the  boats  ready,  for  I 
was  determined  to  make  a  start,  and  try  and  get  to  the  land,  from 
which  I  thought  we  might  find  the  ship,  or  at  least,  if  we  did  not 
find  her,  that  we  miglit  meet  with  Esquimaux  to  assist  us.  I 
thought  that  perhaps  the  Polaris  had  been  lost  in  the  night,  as  I 
could  see  nothing  of  her. 

"I  bad  called  to  the  crew  to  rouse  up  and  see  to  the  boats, 
and  at  last  succeeded  in  geiting  them  out  of  the  snow,  and  fairly 
awake.  I  told  them  we  must  reach  the  shore ;  they  thought  do 
too,  but  they  seemed  very  inert,  and  in  no  hurry ;  they  were 
'tired'  and  'hungry'  and  'wet '  (though  I  think  they  could  not 
have  been  more  tired  than  I,  who  had  been  walking  the  floe  all 
night  while  they  slept);  they  had  had  nothing  to  eat  since  three 
o'clock  the  day  before;  and  so  they  concluded  they  must  get 
something  to  eat  first.  Nothing  could  induce  them  to  hurry; 
while  I,  all  impatience  to  try  and  get  the  boats  off,  had  to  wait 
their  leisure.  I  might  have  got  off  myself,  but  I  knew  in  that 
case,  if  the  Polaris  did  not  come  and  pick  them  up,  they  would 
all  perish  in  a  few  days;  so  I  waited  and  waited.  Not  satisfied 
to  eat  what  was  at  hand,  they  must  even  set  about  cooking. 
They  made  a  fire  out  of  some  wood  which  they  found  upon  the 
ice.  They  had  nothing  to  cook  in  but  some  flat  tin  pans,  in 
which  they  tried  to  cook  some  of  the  canned  meat,  and  also  tried 
to  make  some  coffee  or  chocolate.  Then  some  of  them  insist- 
ed on  changing  their  clothing;  for  several  of  them  had  secured 
their  bags  of  clothing.  But  every  thing  has  an  end,  and  at  last 
I  got  started  about  9  A.M. ;  but,  as  I  feared,  it  was  now  too  late; 
the  leads  were  closing,  and  I  feared  a  change  of  wind  which 
would  make  it  impossible  to  reach  the  shore. 

"  The  piece  of  ice  we  were  on  was  fast,  between  heavy  icebergs 
which  had  grounded,  and  was  therefore  stationary.  The  wind 
had  now  hauled  to  the  north-east.  I  had  no  means  of  taking 
the  true  bearings,  but  it  was  down  quartering  across  the  land, 
and  it  was  bringing  the  loose  ice  down  fast.  But  though  I  feared 
it  was  too  late,  I  determined  to  try.  And  at  last  we  got  the  boats 
off,  carrying  every  thing  we  could,  and  intending  to  come  back 
for  what  was  left ;  but  when  we  got  half-way  to  the  shore,  the 
loose  ice  which  I  had  seen  coming,  crowded  on  our  bows  so  that 


204  ARCTIC  EXl'ERIENCES, 

we  could  not  get  through,  and  we  had  to  haul  up  on  the  ice; 
and  soon  after  I  saw  the  Polaris!  I  was  rejoiced  indeed,  for  I 
thought  assistance  was  at  hand. 

*'  She  came  around  a  point  above  us,  eight  or  ten  miles  distant 
We  could  see  water  over  the  ice  that  had  drifted  down,  and  we 
could  see  water  inshore.  I  wondered  why  the  Polaris  did  not 
come  and  look  for  us.  Thinking,  perhaps,  that  she  did  not  know 
in  which  direction  to  look — though  the  set  of  the  ice  must  have 
told  which  way  it  would  drift — and  though  the  small  ice  had 
stopped  us,  it  was  not  enough  to  stop  a  ship,  I  did  not  know 
what  to  make  of  it.  But,  determined  to  attract  her  attention,  if 
possible,  I  set  up  the  colors  which  I  had  with  me  and  a  piece 
of  India  rubber  cloth,  and  then  with  my  spy-glass  watched  the 
vessel.  She  was  under  both  steam  and  sail,  so  I  went  to  work 
securing  every  thing,  hoping  that  she  would  come  for  us  and 
take  us  aboard.  I  could  not  see  any  body  on  deck;  they,  if 
there,  were  not  in  sight.  She  kept  along  down  by  the  land,  and 
then,  instead  of  steering  toward  us,  dropped  away  behind  the 
land — Littleton  Island,  I  suppose  it  is.  Our  signal  was  dark,  and 
would  surely  be  seen  that  distance  on  a  white  ice-floe.  I  do  not 
know  what  to  make  of  this. 

"  I  wanted  some  poles  to  help  build  a  house  or  tent,  and  I  sent 
some  of  the  men  to  the  other  side  of  the  floe  to  get  some ;  I  knew 
there  must  be  some  there  belonging  to  a  house  I  had  built  of 
poles  in  which  to  store  provisions.  In  going  to  this  portion  of 
the  floe  they  saw  the  vessel  behind  the  island,  and  so  came  back 
and  reported ;  they  said  she  was  '  tied  up.'  I  did  not  know  what 
to  think  of  it;  but  I  took  my  spy-glass,  and  running  to  a  point 
where  they  said  I  could  see  her,  sure  enough  there  she  was,  tied 
up — at  least,  all  her  sails  were  furled,  and  there  was  no  smoke 
from  her  stack,  and  she  was  lying  head  to  the  wind.  I  suppose 
she  was  tied  up  to  the  bay-ice,  which  I  could  see  with  the  glass. 

"And  now  our  piece  of  ice,  which  had  been  stationary,  com- 
menced drifting;  and  I  did  not  feel  right  about  the  vessel  not 
corning  for  us.  I  began  to  think  she  did  not  mean  to.  I  could 
not  think  she  was  disabled,  because  we  had  so  recently  seen  her 
steaming ;  so  I  told  the  men  we  must  get  to  the  other  side  of  the 
floe,  and  try  and  reach  the  land,  perhaps  lower  down  than  the 
vessel  was,  but  so  that  we  might  eventually  reach  her.  I  told 
them  to  prepare  the  boats.    I  threw  away  every  thing  to  make 


A  TERRIBLE  DISAPPOINTMENT.  205 

them  light,  except  a  little  provision — enough  to  last  perhaps  two 
or  three  davs. 

"  I  told  the  men,  while  they  were  getting  the  boats  ready,  I 
would  run  across  the  ice  and  see  if  there  was  an  opportunity  to 
take  the  water,  or  where  was  the  best  place,  so  that  they  would 
not  have  to  haul  the  boats  uselessly.  I  ran  across  as  quick  as  I 
could.  I  was  very  tired,  for  I  had  had  nothing  but  some  biscuit 
and  a  drink  of  the  blood-soup  to  eat;  but  I  saw  there  was  an  op- 
portunity to  get  through,  and  that  seemed  to  renew  my  strength. 
The  small  ice  did  not  now  appear  to  be  getting  in  fast  enough  to 
prevent  our  getting  across.  But  in  these  gales  it  is  astonishing 
how  quickly  the  ice  closes  together,  and  I  knew  we  were  liable 
to  be  frozen  up  at  any  moment ;  so  I  hurried  back  to  the  boats 
and  told  them  '  we  must  start  immediately.' 

"  There  was  a  great  deal  of  murmuring — the  men  did  not  seem 
to  realize  the  crisis  at  all.  They  seemed  to  think  more  of  saving 
their  clothes  than  their  lives.  But  I  seemed  to  see  the  whole 
winter  before  me.  Either,  I  thought,  the  Polaris  is  disabled  and 
can  not  come  for  us,  or  else,  God  knows  why.  Captain  Budding- 
ton  don't  mean  to  help  us ;  and  then  there  flashed  through  my 
mind  the  remembrance  of  a  scene  and  a  fearful  experience  which 
had  happened  to  me  before,  in  which  his  indifference  had  nearly 
cost  mc  my  life  ond  those  of  all  my  crew.  But  I  believed  he 
thought  too  much  of  Puney  and  the  cook  to  leave  us  to  our 
fate  without  an  effort.  Then  the  thought  came  to  me,  what  shall 
I  do  with  all  these  people,  if  God  means  we  are  to  shift  for  our- 
selves, without  ship,  or  shelter,  or  sufiicient  food,  through  the 
long,  cold,  dark  winter?  I  knew  that  sometime  the  ice  would 
break  up;  that  at  last  it  would  break  up  into  small  pieces  —  too 
small  to  live  upon.  From  the  disposition  which  some  of  the  men 
had  shown,  I  knew  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  make  them  do 
what  was  needful  for  their  own  safety.  And  then  there  were 
all  those  children  and  the  two  women  ! 

"  It  appeared  to  me  then  that  if  we  did  not  manage  to  get  back 
to  the  ship,  that  it  was  scarcely  possible  but  that  many,  if  not  all 
of  us,  would  perish  before  the  winter  was  over;  and  yet,  while 
all  these  visions  were  going  through  my  brain,  these  men,  whose 
lives  1  was  trying  to  save,  stood  muttering  and  grumbling  because 
I  did  not  want  the  boats  overloaded  to  get  through  the  pack-ice. 
They  insisted  on  carrying  every  thing.     They  were  under  no  dis- 


206  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

cipline  —  they  bad  been  under  none  since  Captain  ILill's  death. 
They  loaded  one  boat  full  with  all  sorts  of  things,  much  of  which 
was  really  trash,  but  which  they  would  carry.  We  were  going 
to  drag  the  boat  across  the  floe  to  where  we  could  take  the  water. 
I  went  on,  and  told  the  Esquimaux  to  follow  me  across  the  floe. 
I  had  not  gone  more  than  two  hundred  yards  before  a  hurricane 
burst  upon  me.  I  nevertheless  persevered  and  got  across  the  ice, 
and  when  I  got  to  the  lead  of  water  saw  that  the  natives  had  not 
followed  me!  Whether  they  thought  too  much  of  their  proper- 
ty, or  whether  they  were  afraid  of  the  storm,  I  do  not  know  ;  but 
the  cook  had  followed  me,  and  when  he  saw  they  had  not  come 
he  ran  back  for  them. 

"  The  men  still  murmured  about  getting  into  the  boat  which 
they  had  dragged  over  so  overloaded,  but  I  would  have  shoved 
off  as  long  as  I  had  the  strength  to  do  it ;  but  when  I  looked  for 
the  oars,  there  were  but  three,  and  there  was  no  rudder/  I  had 
told  them  to  prepare  the  boat  while  I  was  gone  to  look  for  a  lead, 
and  this  was  the  way  they  had  done  it.  1  had  told  them  to  see 
that  all  was  right,  including  sails;  but  they  did  not  wish  to  go, 
and  that  probably  accounts  for  it,  I  am  afraid  we  shall  all  have 
to  suffer  much  from  their  obstinacy. 

"  Perhaps  if  we  had  started  we  could  not  have  reached  either 
land  or  ship,  but  it  was  certainly  worth  trying.  Why  they  pre- 
fer to  stay  on  this  floe  I  can  not  imagine;  but  to  start  with  only 
three  oars  and  no  rudder,  the  wind  blowing  furiously,  and  no 
good,  earnest  help,  was  useless,  I  tried  it,  but  the  men  were  un- 
willing; and  in  the  crippled  condition  of  the  boat  it  was  no  won- 
der that  we  were  blown  back  like  a  feather.  I  was,  therefore, 
compelled  to  haul  the  boat  back  on  the  ice.  The  men  by  this 
time  were  really  exhausted,  and  I  Ccld  not  blame  them  so  much 
for  not  working  with  more  energy. 

"Night  was  now  coming  on;  our  day  was  lost,  and  our  oppor- 
tunity with  it.     We  must  prepare  for  another  night  on  the  ice. 

"  We  had  to  leave  the  boat  where  she  was ;  we  were  all  too 
tired  to  attempt  to  drag  her  back.  We  also  left  in  her  the  cloth- 
ing and  other  things  the  men  had  been  so  anxious  to  save  in  the 
morning, 

"I  went  back  toward  the  centre  of  the  floe,  and  put  up  a  little 
canvas  tent,  and  then,  eating  a  liitie  frozen  meat  and  a  little  ship- 
bread,  I  was  glad  enough  to  creep  in,  pull  a  musk-ox  skin  over 


BREAKING  OF  THE  ICE-FLOE.  207 

me  and  get  a  little  rest,  drifting  in  the  darkness  I  knew  not 
wliitiier;  for  I  had  had  no  rest  since  the  night  of  the  14th — the 
night  before  we  parted  with  the  ship.  All.  of  the  afternoon  of 
the  loth  I  was  at  work,  and  all  of  that  night  I  walked  the  floe. 
All  the  next  day  I  was  going  and  coming  across  the  ice,  and  la- 
boring with  the  men  and  boats,  trying  to  work  through  the  pack ; 
and  when  night  came  the  ice-floe  proved  a  refreshing  bed,  where 
[  slept  soundly  till  morning,  when  I  was  suddenly  awakened  by 
hearing  a  loud  cry  from  the  natives,  which  made  me  quickly 
crawl  out  from  between  my  wet  ox-skin? 

"It  had  snowed  during  the  night;  but  that  was  nothing.  TJie 
ice  had  broken  f  separating  us  from  the  boat  which  we  had  left, 
being  unable  to  haul  it  the  night  before.  The  old  house,  made 
of  poles,  in  which  thco  was  also  six  bags  of  bread,  remained  on 
the  old  floe,  and  we  were  left  on  a  very  small  piece  of  ice.  The 
Esquimaux,  Mr.  Meyers,  and  myself  had  made  our  extemporized 
lodgings  on  the  thickest  part  of  the  floe,  and  when  the  ice  parted 
we  were  all  on  this  portion.  As  soon  as  I  saw  the  position  of 
affairs,  I  called  the  men  out,  desiritig  them  to  go  for  the  boat  and 
bread.  It  could  have  been  done  with  safety,  for  there  was  no 
sea  running  between  the  broken  floe,  and  they  had  not  separated 
much  at  that  time ;  but  I  could  not  move  them — they  were  afraid. 
At  least  they  did  not  go, 

"So  we  drifted,  having  one  boat  on  our  piece  of  ice,  while  one 
of  our  boats,  part  of  the  provisions,  and  the  house  of  poles,  re- 
mained on  the  main  part  of  the  original  floe.  And  so  we  drift, 
apparently  to  the  south-west,  for  I  have  neither  compass  nor 
chronometer  with  me;  my  compass  is  in  that  other  boat,  and 
even  my  watch  is  on  board  of  the  Polaris.  Our  piece  of  ice  is 
perhaps  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  across  each  way. 

"Od.  17.  Quite  a  heavy  sea  is  running;  piece  after  piece  is 
broken  from  our  floe.  God  grant  we  may  have  enough  left  to 
stand  upon !  The  vessel  could  now  come  to  us  in  clear  water,  if 
she  is  in  condition  either  to  steam  or  sail.  I  told  the  natives 
who  are  with  me  they  must  try  and  catch  some  .seal.  Hans  was 
engaged  as  hunter,  servant,  and  dog-driver;  and  Joe  is  one  of  the 
best  hunters  to  be  found,  if  there  is  any  thing  to  catch.  If  we 
can  only  get  seal  enough,  we  can  live ;  but  without  seal  we  can 
have  no  warnr  food,  for  we  shall  have  to  cook  with  the  blubber- 
oil,  as  the  natives  do.     The  natives  have  caught  three  seals,  and 


208  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

could  have  caught  more,  but  for  the  thoughtlessness  of  the  men 
who  gathered  around  and  frightened  them  off;  then  the  weather 
set  in  so  bad  they  could  do  no  more;  it  was  thick  and  heavy. 
Weather  continued  bad,  but  the  gale  moderated  toward  the 
morning  of  the  18th.  When  it  cleared,  I  could  see  the  land — 
about  six  miles  away.  I  thought  it  might  be  the  east  shore ;  but, 
having  no  compass  and  no  chart,  could  hardly  be  sure  where  we 
were.  '  Young  ice,'  or  new  ice,  had  formed  between  us  and  the 
land ;  but  it  was  not  strong  enough  to  walk  upon.  I  was  in 
hopes  it  would  get  firmer,  and  then  we  might  perhaps  get  to  land. 

"One  morning  —  the  21st,  I  think — Joe  was  spying  around, 
and  saw  the  end  of  our  abandoned  boat  on  the  same  floe  where 
we  had  left  it.  He  called  to  me,  and  as  soon  as  I  saw  it  I  started 
off  with  him  to  try  and  recover  it.  It  was  about  twelve  o'clock 
in  the  day,  and  we  had  not  yet  had  our  breakfast.  But  I  was 
afraid  we  should  not  have  so  good  a  chance  again  to  get  it,  and 
would  not  wait  for  any  thing,  for  we  could  now  get  across  to  the 
old  floe  from  our  own  piece  of  ice.  Joe  and  I  started,  and  got  it 
back,  with  all  the  things,  and  also  loaded  in  what  bread  I  could 
carry.  I  fortunately  had  five  or  six  dogs  with  me.  We  har- 
nessed them  to  the  boat,  they  dragging  and  we  pushing  over  the 
bad  places.  We  at  last  got  it  back  safely  to  the  piece  of  ice  we 
were  encamped  upon.  We  saved  all.  We  have  now  both  boats, 
the  natives'  kyacks,  and  are  together  again. 

'■^Od.  23.  We  have  now  given  up  all  hopes  of  the  Polaris  com- 
ing to  look  for  us.  All  we  can  do  is  to  vmit  for  the  ice  to  get 
strong  enough  for  us  to  get  on  shore.  The  worst  of  it  is,  we  have 
no  sledges;  and  hauling  the  loaded  boats  over  the  rough  ice  is 
likely  to  injure  them,  so  that  they  would  be  unfit  for  use,  should 
we  need  to  take  to  them ;  but  it  is  the  only  way  we  can  do  to 
get  them  over  to  the  large  floe,  which  now  lies  halfway  between 
us  and  the  shore.  There  is,  too,  but  little  time  to  see  to  work ; 
all  the  light  we  have  now  is  about  six  hours  a  day,  and  not  very 
clear  then.  On  cloudy  and  stormy  days  it  is  dark  all  the  time. 
But  this  piece  of  ice  will  not  do  to  winter  on.  So  to-day,  the  ice 
appearing  strong  enough,  I  got  the  boats  loaded,  harnessed  on 
the  dogs,  and  started  to  regain  the  large  floe ;  succeeded  with  the 
first,  and  then  went  back  for  the  second.  It  is  fortunate,  indeed, 
that  we  have  the  boats.  Humanly  speaking,  they  are  our  salva- 
tion, for  on  an  emergency  we  can  use  them  either  for  the  water 


AN  ENCAMl'iMENT  ON  THE  ICE.  209 

or  as  sledges.  Got  the  second  one  over  safe,  and  am  rejoiced  at 
that;  and  tbey  do  not  appear  to  have  received  any  injury  ex- 
cept what  can  be  readily  repaired.  There  are  still  two  kyacks 
on  the  small  floe.  A  native  will  stick  to  his  kyack  like  a  white 
man  to  his  skin,  and  Joe  and  Hans  got  theirs  out  of  the  ship 
when  Captain  Buddington  ordered  them  off. 

"We  had  now  got  all  our  principal  things  on  the  large  floe, 
except  a  little  stuff  and  these  kyacks.  I  wanted  the  crew  to 
try  and  help  save  them,  but  could  not  get  them  to  do  any  thir.g 
toward  it.  At  last  Joe  started  alone,  and  then  two  of  the  men 
ventured  over :  one  was  the  negro  cook,  and  the  other  William 
Lindermann.  One  of  the  kyacks  was  saved,  but  the  other  was 
lost.  These  little  boats  are  invaluable  to  the  Esquimaux,  who 
are  accustomed  to  manage  them;  but  no  one  else  can  do  an}' 
thing  with  them.  One  might  almost  as  well  launch  out  on  an 
ostrich  feather  and  think  lo  keep  afloat,  as  in  these  unballast- 
ed little  seal-skin  shelLs.  But  I'm  glad  enough  they  have  go' 
one  of  them. 

"  The  weather  has  come  on  very  bad ;  but,  fortunately,  we 
have  got  our  snow- houses  built.  We  have  quite  an  encamp- 
ment— one  hut,  or  rather  a  sort  of  half-hut,  for  Mr.  Meyers  and 
myself;  Joe's  hut  for  himself,  Hannah,  and  their  adopted  daugh- 
ter, Puney  ;  a  hut  for  the  men,  a  store-hut  for  our  provisions,  and 
a  cook-house,  all  united  by  arched  alley -ways  built  of  snow; 
one  main  entrance,  and  smaller  ones  branching  off  to  the  sev- 
eral apartments,  or  huts.  Huns  has  built  his  hut  separately,  but 
near  by. 

"Joe  did  most  of  the  work  of  building  these  huts — he  knew 
best  how  to  do  it ;  but  we  all  assisted.  They  are  made  in  the 
regular  Esquimau  style,  and  the  natives  call  them  igloos.  The 
way  they  go  about  it  is  this:  the  ground  is  first  leveled  off,  and 
then  one-half  of  the  floor  toward  the  end  farthest  from  the  en- 
trance is  slightly  raised  above  the  other  or  front  half.  The 
raised  part  is  parlor  and  bedroom,  and  the  front  p ''.rt  is  workshop 
and  kitchen.  The  walls  and  arched  roof  are  composed  of  square 
blocks  of  hard  snow,  packed  hard  by  the  force  of  the  wind.  A 
square  of  about  eighteen  inches  of  thin,  compressed  snow  or  ice, 
or  sometimes  a  piece  of  animal  membrane,  is  fixed  in  for  a  win- 
dow. The  entrance  is  very  low,  and  is  reached  through  the  al- 
ley-way, so  that  one  has  to  almost  crawl  in.     At  night,  or  when- 

14 


210  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

ever  it  storms  or  is  very  cold,  the  entrance  is  closed  up,  after  the 
inmates  are  all  in,  by  a  block  of  snow. 

"There  is  hardly  room  to  turn  round  in  these  huts,  and  an 
ordinary -sized  white  man  can  only  just  stand  up  straight  in 
them;  it  is  as  much  as  an  Esquimau  can  do  in  some  of  them; 
but  from  their  form  they  stand  the  weather  well.  A  hut  is  often 
snowed  under,  so  that  it  can  not  be  distinguished  from  a  natural 
hillock ;  but  it  can  not  be  blown  over;  and  when  there  is  a  suffi- 
ciency of  oil  to  burn  in  the  lamps,  these  kind  of  huts  can  be  kept 
warm  enough.  But  from  their  arched  form,  and  the  material  of 
which  they  are  constructed,  it  can  easily  be  seen  that  they  can 
not  be  made  spacious  enough  to  properly  accommodate  a  large 
party  of  men.  The  centre  of  the  dome  only  admits  of  the  up- 
right position  being  maintained,  as  from  that  point  the  walls 
slope  gradually,  until  they  meet  the  ground.  In  the  men's  hut, 
for  instance,  the  dais,  or  raised  platform,  on  which  they  sleep,  just 
accommodates  them,  lying  like  herrings  in  a  box,  with  no  super- 
fluous room  in  which  to  turn ;  and  only  two  or  three  of  them 
can  stand  up  at  a  time. 

"These  huts  are  only  used  by  the  natives  in  winter.  The 
summer  sun  is  as  fatal  to  them  as  rain  would  be  if  it  fell  there; 
but  when  they  begin  to  thaw  and  melt,  the  Esquimaux  take  to 
their  seal-skin  tents  for  shelter. 

"The  ordinary  lamp  in  use  among  the  natives  is  made  out  of 


^  w!a$*^,^^f^ 


NATIVE   LAM  I'. 


a  soft  kind  of  stone,  indigenous  to  the  country ;  it  is  hollowed 
out,  like  a  shallow  dish,  with  an  inverted  edge,  on  which  they 
place  a  little  moss  for  wicking,  which,  when  lighted,  sucks  up 
the  oil  from  the  blubber;  and  this  is  all  the  fire  they  have  in  this 


ESTIMATING  I'KOVISIONH.  211 

cold  country,  either  for  heating  their  huts  or  for  cooking.  To  dry 
their  clothing,  they  put  them  in  nets  suspended  over  the  lamp, 

"  We,  however,  did  not  have  even  a  proper  lamp ;  but  we  soon 
contrived  one  out  of  an  old  pemmican  can,  and  having  no  moss, 
we  cut  up  a  piece  of  canvas  for  wicking,  and  it  answered  very 
well  for  us;  but  somehow  the  men  could  not  seem  to  understand 
how  to  use  it;  they  either  got  the  blubber  all  in  a  blaze,  or  else 
they  got  it  smoking  so  badly  that  they  were  driven  out  of  their 
hut;  and  so  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  they  have  begun  to  break  up 
one  of  the  boats  for  fuel.  This  is  bad  business,  but  I  can  not 
stop  them,  situated  as  I  am,  without  any  other  authority  than 
such  as  they  choose  to  concede  to  me.  It  will  not  do  to  thwart 
them  too  much,  even  for  their  own  benefit. 

"  These  boats  are  not  designed  to  carry  more  than  six  or  eight 
men,  and  yet  I  foresee  that  all  this  company  may  have  yet  to 
get  into  the  one  boat  to  save  our  lives,  for  the  ice  is  very  treach- 
erous.    But  they  will  do  as  they  like. 

"I  have  been  taking  account  of  stock.  By  our  succes.sive  ex- 
peditions, in  which  we  gathered  nearly  all  together  which  was  on 
the  ice  when  we  were  first  drifted  off,  I  find  that  we  have  our 
two  boats  (but  one  is  being  destroyed)  and  one  kyack,  and,  thank 
God,  plenty  of  ammunition  and  shot. 

"Of  provisions  we  have  eleven  and  a  half  bags  of  bread,  four- 
teen cans  of  pemmican,  fourteen  hams,  ten  dozen  cans  of  meats 
and  soups,  one  can  of  dried  apples,  and  about  twenty  pounds  of 
chocolate  and  sugar  mixed.  The  pemmican  cans  are  large,  each 
weighing  forty-five  pounds;  the  meats  and  soups  are  only  one 
and  two  pound  cans;  and  the  hams  are  small  ones;  the  dried- 
apple  can  is  a  twenty-two-pounder.  Divide  that  into  portions 
for  nineteen  people,  with  a  certainty  of  not  getting  any  thing 
more  for  six  months  (unless  we  reach  the  land,  or  can  catch  seals 
to  live  on),  and  it  is  plain  we  could  not  exist.  And  if  we  have 
to  keep  to  the  floe,  it  will  be  April  or  May  before  we  shall  drift 
to  the  whaling-grounds. 

"  We  must  try  once  more  to  get  on  shore.  To-morrow,  if  the 
weather  permits,  I  will  try  and  get  the  house  and  the  lumber 
where  we  can  have  the  use  of  it. 

"  Have  had  a  talk  with  Mr.  Meyers  about  the  locality  of  our 
separation  from  the  Polaris;  he  thinks  we  were  close  to  North- 
umberland Island,  but  I  believe  it  was  Littleton  Island ;  he  says 


212  ARCl'C  EXPERIENCES. 

*  he  ought  to  know,  for  that  he  took  observations  only  a  day  or 
two  before,'  and  of  course  he  ought  to  be  right;  but  still  my  im- 
pression is  tiiat  Northumberland  Island  is  larger  than  the  one  the 
Polaris  steamed  behind.  I  wish  I  had  a  chart,  or  some  means 
of  knowing  ibr  certain. 

^^  O'-t.  24,  Morniiiy.  Blowing  strong  from  the  north-east,  and 
the  snow  is  drifting;  quite  cold.  Hobcrt  and  Bill  have  started 
for  tlie  old  house  to  get  two  {)lanks  to  make  a  sledge  to  haul  the 
rest  of  the  house  over  on,  and  for  general  use.  If  it  is  a  good 
day  to-morrow,  I  hope  to  get  all  the  lumber  and  the  remains  of 
the  canvas  from  the  old  place. 

"4/i!r  .(  '■'.  The  men  came  back  with  the  planks ;  they  were 
very  hungry — so  hungry  I  was  compelled  to  break  the  rules,  and 
give  them  some  bread  and  pemmicun  to  eat 

"We  only  allow  ourselves  two  meals  a  day,  and  Mr.  Meyers 
has  made  a  pair  of  scales,  with  which  to  weigh  out  each  one's 
portion,  so  that  there  should  be  no  jealousy.  We  use  shot  for 
weights.  Our  allowance  is  very  small — just  enough  to  keep  body 
and  soul  together;  but  we  must  economize,  or  our  little  stock 
will  soon  give  out  altogether. 

"One  bad  symptom  has  appeared:  we  have  only  had  choco- 
late prepared  for  the  party  four  times,  and  it  is  nearly  all  gone ! 
Some  one  has  made  free  with  the  store-house.  It  is  too  cold  to 
set  a  watch ;  but  it  is  plain  enough  to  be  seen  that  things  have 
been  meddled  with. 

"The  wind  is  mostly  from  the  E.N.E.  Have  succeeded  in 
getting  a  sledge  made,  and  the  men  have  brought  in  a  load  of 
lumber  and  poles  from  the  old  house;  no  doubt  we  shall  be  able 
to  get  it  all.  But  our  blubber  is  almost  out,  and  we  see  no  seals; 
if  we  do  not  get  some  soon  we  shall  be  in  darkness,  and  have  to 
eat  our  frozen  food  without  thawing  it — to  say  nothing  of  cook- 
ing it.  We  need  it,  too,  very  much  to  melt  the  fresh -water  ice 
for  drink.  Fortunately  there  is  enough  of  this  ice  in  the  ponds 
on  this  floe,  if  we  can  only  get  the  means  of  melting  it. 

"Our  present  daily  allowance  is  eleven  ounces  for  each  adult, 
and  half- rations  for  the  children.  I  was  obliged  to  establish  a 
regular  rate,  and  insist  upon  its  observance,  or  we  shoald  soon 
have  had  nothing.  There  appears  to  be  a  good  deal  of  discon- 
tent in  some  quarters,  but  I  fear  they  will  get  less  before  any  of 
us  get  more.     Before  this  rule  was  established,  some  got  a  great 


ESQUIMAUX  IMPROVIDENCE.  213 

deal  more  than  others.  It  was  hard  for  some  of  them  to  come 
down  to  it  in  consequence ;  and  in  fact  it  has  weakened  them 
down ;  but  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  be  careful  of  what  we 
have.  I  am  so  weak  myself  that  1  stagger  from  sheer  want  of 
strength;  and,  after  all,  the  men  bear  it  as  well  as  could  be  ex- 
pected—  considering,  too,  that  they  do  not  realize,  as  I  do,  the 
absolute  necessity  of  it. 

"Hans  has  just  taken  two  of  the  dogs,  killed  and  skinned 
them,  and  will  eat  them.  I  give  each  of  the  natives  the  same 
amount  of  bread,  and  whatever  else  we  have,  as  I  deal  out  to  my- 
self. But  the  Esquimaux  are,  like  all  semi-civilized  people,  nat- 
urally improvident;  while  they  have,  they  will  eat,  and  let  to- 
morrow take  care  of  itself  I  do  not  suppose  an  Esquimau  ever 
voluntarily  left  off  eating  before  his  hunger  was  fully  satisfied, 
though  he  knew  that  the  next  day,  or  for  many  days,  he  would 
have  nothing.  Sailors  have  some  kind  of  an  idea  that  a  ship's 
company  must,  under  some  circumstances,  be  put  on  'short  al- 
lowance;' but  that  is  an  idea  you  can  never  beat  into  the  head  of 
a  native,  and  yet  of  all  people  they  are  the  most  subject  to  fluctu- 
ations of  luck — sometimes  having  abundance,  and  then  reduced 
to  famine;  but  there  is  no  thrift  in  them.  They  will  sometimes 
store  away  provisions,  and  build  caches  on  their  traveling  routes; 
but  this  is  always  done  when  they  have  more  than  they  can  pos- 
sibly consume  at  the  time  —  as  when  they  have  been  fortunate 
enough  to  kill  a  whale  or  a  walrus,  and  by  no  possibility  can  eat 
it  all. 

"  Oct  26.  We  lost  sight  of  the  sun's  disk  three  days  ago — 

"  'Miserable  we, 
Who  here  entnngled  in  the  gathering  ice, 
Take  our  last  look  of  the  descending  sun  ; 
While  full  of  death,  and  fierce  with  tenfold  frost, 
The  long,  long  night,  incumbent  o'er  our  heads, 
Falls  horrible.' 

*'  May  the  great  and  good  God  have  mercy  on  us,  and  send  us 
seals,  or  I  fear  we  must  perish.  We  are  all  very  weak  from  hav- 
ing to  live  on  such  small  allowance,  and  the  entire  loss  of  the  sun 
makes  all  more  or  less  despondent.  But  still  we  do  not  give  up; 
the  men  have  got  another  sled-load  of  poles  in  to-day ;  but  the 
ice  is  very  rough,  and  the  light  so  dim  that  they  can  fetch  but 
little  at  a  time.     There  seems  now  no  chance  of  reaching  the 


214 


AKCTIC  KXPERIENCES. 


land — we  have  drifted  so  fur  to  the  west.  We  are  about  eight 
or  ten  miles  offshore.  Northumberland  Island  bears  about  east 
from  us — should  think  forty  or  fifty  miles  off.  Should  judge 
the  latitude  to  be  about  77°  30'.  Have  not  drifted  any  the  last 
three  days.  The  sled  has  come  in  with  two  additional  dogs — 
'Bear'  and  'Spike:'  these  dogs  were  on  the  large  floe,  where  the 
most  of  our  provisions  were.  I  suppose,  since  we  brought  the 
food  away,  they  thought  best  to  follow  it.  A  portion  of  the  sun 
just  showed  for  a  little  while  to-day — his  upper  limb  about  T 
above  the  horizon. 


TU>  GREAT  AUK. 


A  VAIN  HUNT  FOR  SEAL.  215 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

A  vain  Ilnnt  for  Seal. — Pemmican. — The  Dogs  starving. — Blowholes  of  the  Seal. — 
Mode  of  Capture. — Sight  Cary  Island. — Hans  mistaken  for  a  Hear. — Down  with 
Uheiimatism. — One  IJoat  us-cd  for  Fuel. — Th  ■  Children  crying  with  Hunger. — Joe 
the  l>est  Man. — The  Bread  walks  otf. — One  s(iuure  Meal. — Bear  and  Fox-tracks. — 
FiG'ects  of  lax  Discipline. — Joe  and  Hannah. — Our  Thanksgiving-dinner. 

"  Oct.  27  comes  in  with  u  clear,  strong  breeze  from  the  north- 
east. The  two  natives  and  Robert  have  gone  to  look  if  they  can 
find  any  thing  more  worth  bringing  away.  There  are  two  bags 
of  ccai  in  the  old  house,  or  what  is  left  of  it,  which  was  thrown 
over  with  the  rest  of  the  things  from  the  Polaris;  it  is  probably 
the  coal  Robert  wants,  as  they  have  not  yet  learned  to  use  a  lamp 
to  cook  with.  It  is  so  clear  to-day  that  we  can  see  to  the  west 
shore.  If  the  ice  remains  firm,  shall  still  endeavor  to  find  the 
vessel.  At  noon  to-day  the  sun  showed  about  a  quarter  of  his 
diameter  above  the  horizon.  We  shall  soon  lose  sight  of  him 
altogether.  Joe  and  Hans  have  been  out  all  day  hunting  for 
seal,  but  have  found  none. 

"  Oct.  28.  Wind  still  blowing  clear  and  strong  from  the  north- 
east. Have  found  the  dog-tracks,  and  the  natives  have  secured 
the  dogs,  harnessed  them  to  the  sled,  and  taken  them  with  them 
on  the  hunt.  If  they  should  be  so  fortunate  as  to  meet  a  bear, 
the  dogs  would  keep  him  at  bay  till  the  men  could  get  a  shot  at 
him.  We  are  out  of  seal-meat,  and  to-day  dine  on  pemmican 
and  bread.  The  bread,  of  course,  is  simply  biscuit;  it  is  'bread' 
on  board  ship,  and  'biscuit'  to  landsmen.  Some  people  like  this 
pemmican ;  it  is  made  of  beef  cut  in  thin  slices  and  dried,  then 
either  cut  up  fine,  or,  as  some  firms  prepare  it,  ground  up  and 
mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  fat.  I  can  eat  it  here ;  but  if  I 
was  ashore  it  would  not  enter  largely  into  my  cuisine.  It  is. 
however,  a  very  proper  compound  to  take  on  Arctic  voyages, 
being  very  '  heat-giving,'  which  is  quite  a  desideratum  in  these 
regions. 

"Another  day  passed  and  no  seal  caught.  Have  no  seal-meat 
left,  and  very  little  blubber ;  must  try  and  save  what  there  is  for 


216 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


the  lamps;  but  when  hungry  natives  are  around,  it  disappears 
very  rapidly  down  their  throats.  The  ice  keeps  firm,  and  I  am 
only  waiting  for  the  change  of  the  moon,  so  that  we  can  be  sure 
of  light  to  make  another  effort  to  reach  the  shore. 

"In  consequence  of  there  being  no  seals  caught,  1  have  noth- 
ing to  give  the  dogs  to  eat.  The  poor  things  are  almost  dead. 
I  can  not  afford  to  give  them  our  canned  meats.  They  will  have 
to  go. 

^^  Oct.  SO.  Wind  lighter,  bu*-  from  the  same  quarter.  Our  al- 
lowance for  the  whole  company  is  now  two  pounds  of  pemmican, 


JOE   WATOIIING  SEAn-IIOLB. 


AN  ATTEMPT  TO  REACH  THE  SHOUE.         217 

six  pounds  of  bread,  four  pounds  of  canned  meut — twelve  pounds 
in  all,  to  furnish  eighteen  persons  for  the  day.  The  natives  still 
continue  hunting,  but  have  had  no  success. 

"It  is  not  easy  to  find  the  seal  in  winter;  they  live  princi- 
pally under  the  ice,  and  can  only  be  seen  when  the  ice  cracks; 
an  inexperienced  person  would  never  catch  one.  Being  warm- 
blooded animals,  they  can  not  remain  always  under  the  ice  with- 
out breathing;  and  in  consequence  they  make  air-holes  through 
the  ice  and  snow,  through  which  to  breathe ;  but  at  the  surface 
these  holes  are  so  small — not  more  than  two  and  a  half  inches 
across — that  they  are  not  easily  distinguished,  especially  in  the 
dim  and  uncertain  light  which  we  now  have.  They  are  very  shy, 
too,  and  .seem  to  know  when  thev  are  watched.  A  native  will 
sometimes  remain  watching  a  seal-hole  thirty-six  or  forty-eight 
hours  before  getting  a  chance  to  strike,  and  if  the  first  stroke  is 
not  accurate  the  game  is  gone  forever. 

"  The  natives  use  barbed  spears,  and,  as  the  skull  of  the  seal  is 
exceedingly  thin,  if  the  blow  is  well  aimed  it  is  sure  to  penetrate, 
and  the  seal  can  then  be  held  securely  until  the  hole  is  enlarged 
sufficiently  to  pull  the  body  through. 

"The  natives  have  come  in  empty-handed,  and  report  the  ice 
very  rough.  But  I  will  try  it  to-morrow,  should  it  not  blow  a 
gale  of  wind. 

"JV^oy.  8.  I  started  on  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  November  to 
try  and  reach  the  shore.  We  had  loaded  the  boat  with  provis- 
ions and  the  most  necessary  articles,  and  succeeded  in  dragging 
it  nearly  half-way  to  the  shore  on  the  old  piece  of  floe ;  then  the 
ice  broke,  and  we  were  adrift  again.  Saw  Gary  Island,  about 
twelve  miles  to  the  south-east  of  us.  Since  then  it  has  been  such 
thick  weather  I  have  seen  nothing.  We  had  started  very  early 
in  the  morning,  having  with  us  also  the  dogs  and  sled,  and  these 
were  nearly  driven  into  the  water  before  it  was  discovered. 
There  was  a  wide  crack  right  across  the  ice  that  in  the  dim  light 
was  not  discerned;  some  of  the  men  had  crossed  over  before  it 
cracked,  and  had  a  good  jump  for  it  to  get  back. 

"  Fate,  it  seems,  does  not  mean  that  we  shall  either  get  back  to 
the  Polaris,  or  even  reach  the  shore.  To  help  the  matter,  bad 
weather  came  on,  and  it  has  been  so  bad  ever  since  there  has 
been  no  possibility  of  making  another  attempt.  Here  we  are. 
and  here,  it  seems,  we  are  doomed  to  remain. 


216  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

"  We  have  had  to  rebuild  our  huts,  and  are  again  sheltered  as 
well  as  circumstances  will  permit  I  have  been  sick  on  my  back 
for  the  last  three  days;  the  exposure  and  exertion,  with  insuffi- 
cient food  and  clothing,  completely  prostrated  me  ;  but  now  I 
am  at  home  (!)  again,  and  have  had  a  little  rest,  and  am  better. 

"  On  the  6th,  Joe  shot  a  seal,  for  which  I  was  truly  thankful, 
for  our  blubber  was  almost  gone.  The  weather  is  so  bad  no  one 
pretends  to  leave  the  hut.     We  are  all  prisoners. 

"  On  the  10th,  Joe  and  Hans  went  out  hunting.  After  they 
had  been  out  some  time  they  got  separated,  and  Joe,  after  trying 
his  luck  alone,  made  out  to  get  back  to  the  hut  before  it  was 
quite  dark ;  he  fully  expected  to  find  that  Ilans  had  preceded 
him,  and  was  much  alarmed  when  he  heard  that  he  had  not  ar- 
rived. He  persuaded  Robert  to  go  back  with  him  to  try  and 
find  Hans.  It  seems  he  had  left  our  floe,  thinking  there  might 
be  better  chance  for  game  on  another,  and  had  not  been  able  to 
find  his  way  back.  As  Joe  and  Robert  were  going  along  -  er- 
ing  through  the  fast,  coming  darkness,  they  »aw  what  they  took 
to  be  an  ice-bear  approaching  them ;  they  loaded  their  pistols,  and 
made  all  ready  to  give  him  a  warm  reception;  when,  fortunately, 
the  creature  coming  a  few  steps  nearer,  they  saw  that,  instead  of 
a  bear,  it  was  poor  lost  Hans,  His  fur  clothing  covered  with 
snow  had,  perhaps  aided  a  little  by  their  imagination,  or  their 
fears,  completely  deceived  them — though,  as  the  ice  was  very 
rough,  and  probably  Hans  used  both  hands  and  feet  in  climbing 
over  the  hummocks,  the  mistake  was  not  so  surprising.  They 
were  very  glad  they  had  not  hurried  their  fire.  The  wind  is 
now  very  strong,  and  the  snow  drifting.  If  Hans  had  not  come 
in,  he  would  have  fared  badly  such  a  night  as  this. 

"iVW.  13.  The  men  are  building  a  large  snow -hut,  for  what 
they  call  a  reserve.     Peter  is  sick  to-day.     The  rest  all  well, 

'*iVbv.  15.  Change  in  the  weather.  It  is  spring-tide,  and  the 
water  rises  all  around  our  floe;  it  is  beautifully  clear,  and  the 
moonlight  very  bright.  Our  poor  dogs  are  suffering;  they  got 
nothing  at  all  to-day.  Five  have  been  shot  altogether,  leaving 
us  only  four ;  I  regret  it,  but  it  can't  be  helped.  We  are  now 
drifting  very  fast.  The  men  are  lining  their  new  hut  with  can- 
vas. Joe  got  on  a  fox-track  yesterday,  but  did  not  come  up  with 
his  game ;  and  he  also  saw  three  seals,  but  was  not  able  to  secure 
either  of  them. 


DOWN  WITH  RHEUMATISM.  219 

^^Nov.  19.  I  am  down  sick  with  rheumatism,  hardly  able  to 
hold  a  pencil.  1"^  the  movement  of  the  ice,  I  judge  we  are  drift- 
ing to  the  soutLward  very  fast.  The  natives  tell  me  that  they 
saw  two  bear-tracks  and  five  seal-holes ;  but  they  brought  home 
nothing.  I  wish  they  had  better  fortune,  for  we  need  the  fresh 
meat  very  much. 

"JV^oy.  21.  The  last  few  days  the  weather  has  been  clear  and 
cold;  but  I  have  been  confined  to  the  hut  with  heavy  cold  and 
rheumatism ;  but,  thank  God,  I  am  around  again.  It  has  been 
very  difficult  for  the  natives  to  hunt  this  month,  except  the  few 
times  the  moon  shone,  on  account  of  the  darkness.  Some  days 
it  was  quite  impracticable,  there  being  absolutely  no  light;  jut 
to-day,  thank  God,  they  have  brought  in  two  seals.  Without 
them  we  should  have  no  fire,  one  boat  being  already  cut  up. 
We  must  go  without  fire  or  warm  food  if  there  are  no  seal  caught. 
It  will  never  do  to  touch  the  other  bout;  the  time  must  come 
— if  we  live  to  see  it — when  the  boat  will  be  our  only  means  of 
safety. 

*'  We  are  living  now  on  as  little  as  the  human  frame  can  en- 
dure without  succumbing;  some  tremble  with  weakness  when 
they  try  to  walk.  Mr.  Meyers  suffers  much  from  this  cause ;  he 
was  not  well  when  he  came  on  the  ice,  and  the  regimen  here  has 
not  improved  him.  He  lives  with  the  men  now ;  they  are  most- 
ly Germans,  and  so  is  he,  and  the  affinity  of  blood  draws  them 
together,  I  suppose.  Since  he  has  housed  with  the  men,  I  have 
lived  in  the  hut  with  Joe,  Hannah,  and  Puney.  Puney,  poor 
child,  is  often  hungry ;  indeed,  all  the  children  often  cry  with 
hunger.  We  give  them  all  that  it  is  safe  to  use.  I  can  do  no 
more,  however  sorry  I  may  feel  for  them. 

"  The  seals  which  Joe  got  to-day  will  help  us  very  much.  In 
our  situation  he  is  the  'best  man,'  for  without  him  we  should  get 
little  enough  game,  I  fear.  Hans  is  not  so  good,  though  he  does 
well  at  times ;  and,  as  for  the  rest,  they  have  had  no  experience. 
I  am  the  worst  off  of  all,  for  I  have  neither  gun  nor  pistol  of  my 
own,  and  can  only  make  a  shot  by  borrowing  of  Joe.  This  is 
a  disadvantage  in  other  respects;  the  men  know  it;  they  are  all 
armed,  and  I  am  not.  Afler  Captain  Hall's  death,  for  some  rea- 
son unknown  to  me,  arms  were  distributed  among  the  men,  per- 
haps to  organize  hunting-parties ;  but,  at  any  rate,  while  I  was 
looking  after  the  ship's  property,  the  men  secured  their  guns  and 


220  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

pistols.  Joe  has  both  a  shot-gun  and  a  pistol;  but  he  didn't 
seem  to  care  to  give  either  up,  and  I  will  not  force  him  to. 

"The  men  have  now  moved  into  their  large  new  but,  and  I 
shall  appropriate  the  other  to  store  provisions.  The  bread  has 
disappeared  very  fust  lately :  more  of  tJds  hereafter.  We  have  only 
eight  bags  left.     God  guide  us ;  He  is  our  only  hope. 

"  We  have  about  three  hours'  fair  light  yet  on  a  clear  day — 
like  twilight  in  cloudy  weather;  but  I  scarcely  know  day  from 
night.  But,  thanks  be  to  God,  we  are  all  well,  with  keen  appe- 
tites, though  scarcely  any  thing  to  satisfy  our  hunger  with.  For 
the  first  time  since  separating  from  the  ship)  I  have  eaten  enough ; 
but  it  was  of  raw,  uncooked  seal-meat — skin,  hair,  and  all.  For 
the  last  few  days,  being  sick,  I  had  eaten  nothing — scarcely  any 
thing  for  about  a  week ;  and  I  was  so  very  weak  on  getting  up  I 
found  I  could  hardly  stand ;  and  I  needed  this  food  very  much 
to  give  me  a  little  strength.  I  really  need  and  should  have  more, 
to  make  up  for  the  days  I  ate  nothing;  but  beyond  this  one  meal, 
shall  not  ask  for  or  take  it,  but  will  subsist  as  well  as  I  can  on 
the  regular  allowance.  But  this  one  night  I  have  eaten  heartily 
of  seal — yes,  and  drank  its  blood,  and  eaten  its  blubber,  and  it 
will  give  me  strength,  I  hope.  I  need  strength  for  many  reasons 
besides  my  own  use, 

"We  have  discovered  bear -tracks  on  our  floe,  but  have  not 
seen  the  bears.  Our  four  remaining  dogs  are  very  thin  and  poor, 
and  unless  we  get  more  food,  they  will  either  have  to  be  killed  or 
must  starve.  It  is  a  great  pity,  for  they  would  be  very  useful  in 
bear-hunting. 

^^Nov.  22.  Cloudy ;  wind  from  the  north-east  in  the  morning, 
shifting  to  the  south-east  toward  evening.  There  are  plenty  of 
seals  around,  but  it  is  too  dark  to  shoot ;  we  can't  afford  to  waste 
ammunition  on  doubtful  shots;  besides,  a  false  fire  scares  away 
the  game,  and  does  no  good.  Hans  made  out  to  get  one  seal  to- 
day. 

"  Yesterday  and  to-day  have  been  very  fine ;  to-day  clear  and 
cold,  with  light  north  wind.  The  natives  have  been  out  hunting, 
but  got  nothing ;  water  all  frozen  over,  and  very  dark  for  shooting. 

"At  midday  the  stars  are  visible,  even  with  the  moon  shining. 
Saw  a  fox  to-day;  he  approached  the  hut,  and  could  have  been 
captured  if  the  men  had  kept  quiet.  But  they  are  under  no  dis- 
cipline, and  have  been  under  none  since  Captain  Hall's  death. 


EFFECTS  OF  LAX  DISCIPLINE.  221 

"  My  situation  is  very  unpleasant.  I  can  only  advise  the  men, 
and  have  no  means  of  enforcing  my  authority.  But  if  we  live  to 
get  to  Disco,  there  they  will  have  to  submit,  or  I  shall  leave  them 
to  shift  for  themselves.  I  will  not  live  as  I  have  lived  here.  But 
here  I  am  forced  to  live  for  the  present:  there  is  no  escape.  It 
is  not  altogether  their  fault  either;  they  were  good  men,  but  have 
been  spoiled  on  board  the  Polaris.  For  the  last  year  nearly  they 
have  been  allowed  to  say,  do,  and  take  what  they  pleased.  Such 
as  they  were,  had  they  been  under  good  discipline,  and  left  on 
the  ice  like  we  are,  I  could  have  saved  them ;  but  I  don't  know 
how  it  will  be  now.  But  as  to  that,  had  there  been  any  discipline 
we  should  all  have  been  on  the  Polaris  now.  And  then,  too, 
there  appears  to  be  some  influence  at  work  upon  them  now.  It 
is  natural,  no  doubt,  that  they  should  put  confidence  in  one  of 
their  own  blood;  but  they  will  probably  find  out  that  'all  is  not 
gold  that  glitters'  before  they  get  through  this  adventure. 

"  We  begin  to  suffer  much  with  the  cold ;  when  the  body  is 
ill-fed  the  cold  seems  to  penetrate  to  the  very  marrow.  The  hu- 
man system  can  not  repel  cold  well  without  a  certain  quantity  of 
fresh  meat,  and  there  is  no  meat  better  for  the  purpose  than  seal- 
meat,  if  we  can  get  enough  of  it. 

"iVoi'.  27.  Yesterday  and  to-day  have  been  very  unpleasant; 
dark  and  cloudy,  with  a  strong  breeze  from  the  south-west.  The 
natives  have  not  attempted  hunting;  it  is  entirely  too  dark  to  see 
to  shoot.  Joe  has  used  the  time  well,  however,  in  enlarging  our 
hut,  I  prefer  living  with  him,  as  both  he  and  his  wife,  and  even 
the  child,  can  speak  English,  while  in  the  men's  hut  I  hear  noth- 
ing but  German,  which  I  do  not  understand  ;  and  there  are  many 
other  annoyances, 

"Joe  and  Ilannah  have  lived  for  years  with  and  among  civil- 
ized people.  Their  native  names  are  Ehierbiiig  and  Tookoolito; 
they  had  traveled  with  Captain  Hall  on  both  his  previous  jour- 
neys, and  are  frequently  referred  to  in  his  book  on  'Arctic  Re- 
searches.' They  had  also  both  been  to  England,  and  had  been 
received  and  entertained  by  the  Queen ;  they  had  also  lived  for 
some  time  in  Groton,  Connecticut.  It  was,  therefore,  possible  for 
me  to  communicate  my  plans  and  wishes  intelligibly  to  them,  and 
they  to  express  their  ideas  to  me;  while  the  most  of  the  crew, 
either  could  not,  or  would  not,  speak  any  thing  but  German,  with 
which  language  I  was  wholly  unacquainted. 


222  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

"Ilaving  to  live  all  the  time  on  such  small  rations  keeps  the 
subject  of  food  constantly  before  one.  It  is  one  of  the  worst  ef- 
fects of  excessively  'short  allowance' that  it  causes  the  mind  con- 
stantly to  dwell  on  the  matter  of  eating.  While  the  stomach  is 
gnawing,  and  its  empty  sides  grinding  together  with  hunger,  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  fix  the  mind  clearly,  for  any  length  of  time, 
upon  any  thing  else.  The  scenes  that  have  passed  before  my 
eyes  during  the  last  weeks  were,  many  of  them,  worthy  of  the 
best  efforts  of  the  most  accomplished  artist,  and  worthy  of  de- 
scription by  a  poet's  pen,  but  I  have  not  the  heart  to  enjoy  or 
record  them ;  for  disgust  at  the  mixed-up  way  in  which  I  have 
to  live  overpowers  every  other  sentiment. 

"The  spare  wood  is  giving  out,  and  the  difficulty  of  cooking 
for  so  many  in  nothing  but  fiat  tin  pans  is  very  great;  and  be- 
sides, the  lamps,  which  can  only  be  used  with  blubber,  there  is 
nothing  to  cook  over  but  a  *  stove '  made  out  of  an  old  reflector ; 
but  it  is  something  to  get  the  food  even  thawed,  if  it  can  not  be 
cooked. 

"To-morrow  will  be  Thanksgiving- day  in  the  States.  We 
shall  keep  it,  too,  in  our  way,  thanking  God  that  he  has  guided 
us  so  far  in  safety,  and  praying  that  he  will  continue  to  watch 
over  us. 

'■^ Tlianksgiving -day,  Nov.  28.  It  is  very  dark,  and  the  day 
comes  in  cloudy,  with  a  strong  breeze  from  the  north-west.  I 
can  just  see  a  faint  streak  of  twilight  to  the  south  (11  A.M.).  The 
cook  has  just  turned  out  to  prepare  his  Thanksgiving  breakfast 
for  the  men  —  nine  in  number,  including  Mr.  Meyers,  who  lives 
with  them.  He  is  cooking  with  the  remains  of  the  wood  in  the 
shallow  tin  pans,  and,  as  it  is  not  easy  to  cook  in  such  utensils 
for  so  many,  our  company  is  divided  into  three  messes.  Ilans 
cooks  fur  himself  and  family,  and  Hannah  for  herself,  Joe,  Puney, 
and  I.  The  natives  use  and  prefer  the  lamp ;  it  consumes  more 
oil  than  we  can  well  spare,  but  there  is  no  help  for  it  —  we  must 
have  something  warm  to  eat  if  it  can  be  had. 

"  We  saved  the  can  of  dried  apples  for  Thanksgiving,  or  what 
was  left  of  them.  My  breakfast  consisted  of  a  small  meat-can  full 
of  chocolate  —  it  was  not  a  very  delicate  'coffee-cup,'  but  I  had 
used  it  before ;  two  biscuits,  of  a  size  which  takes  ten  to  make  a 
pound,  with  a  few  dried  apples,  eaten  as  they  came  out  of  the 
can.     This  was  the  'thanksgiving'  part  of  the  breakfast.     To 


OUR  THANKSGIVING  DINNER.  223 

satisfy  my  hunger — fierce  hunger  —  I  was  compelled  to  finish 
with  eating  strips  of  frozen  seals'  entrails,  and  lastly  seal-skin — 
hair  and  all — just  warmed  over  the  lamp,  and  frozen  blubber; 
and  frozen  blubber  tastes  sweet  to  a  man  as  hungry  as  I  was. 
But  I  am  thankful  for  what  I  do  get  —  thankful  that  it  is  no 
worse.  If  we  can  only  get  enough  of  such  food  as  this  we  can 
live,  with  the  aid  of  our  small  stores,  with  economy,  until  April, 
and  then  we  must  rely  on  game. 

"No  doubt  many  of  my  friends  who  read  this  will  exclaim, 
'I  would  rather  die  than  eat  such  stuff'!'  You  think  so,  no 
doubt;  but  people  can't  die  when  they  want  to;  and  when  one 
is  in  full  life  and  vigor,  and  only  suffering  from  hunger,  he  don't 
want  to  die.     Neither  would  you. 

'■'■Ecening.  I  have  been  thinking  of  home  and  family  all  day.  I 
have  been  away  many  Thanksgivings  before,  but  always  with  a 
sound  keel  under  my  feet,  some  clean,  dry,  decent  clothes  to  put 
on,  and  without  a  thought  of  what  I  should  have  for  dinner ;  for 
there  was  sure  to  be  plenty,  and  good  too.  Never  did  I  expect  to 
spend  a  Thanksgiving  without  even  a  plank  between  me  and  the 
waters  of  Baffin  Bay,  and  making  my  home  with  Esquimaux ;  but 
I  have  this  to  cheer  me — that  all  my  loved  ones  are  in  safety  and 
comfort,  if  God  has  spared  their  lives;  and  as  they  do  not  know 
of  my  perilous  situation,  they  will  not  have  that  to  mar  their  en- 
joyment of  the  day.  I  hope  they  are  well  and  happy.  I  wonder 
what  they  have  had  for  dinner  to-day.  It  is  not  so  hard  to  guess : 
a  fifteen  or  sixteen  pound  turkey,  boiled  ham,  and  chicken-pie, 
with  all  sorts  of  fresh  and  canned  vegetables ;  and  celery,  with 
nice*white  bread;  and  tea,  coff'ee,  and  chocolate;  then  there  will 
be  plum -pudding,  and  three  or  four  kinds  of  pies,  and  cheese; 
and  perhaps  some  good  sweet  cider — perhaps  some  currant  or 
raspberry  wine ;  and  then  there  will  be  plenty  of  apples,  and 
oranges,  and  nuts,  and  raisins;  and  if  the  children  have  been  to 
Sunday-school  in  the  morning,  they  will  have  their  little  treas- 
ures, besides  all  their  home  presents  spread  out  too.  How  I  wish 
I  could  look  in  upon  them !  I  would  not  let  them  know  I  was 
here,  if  I  could.     How  it  would  spoil  their  day  ! 

"  Well,  I  set  down  what  I  had  for  my  Thanksgiving  break- 
fast; I  will  give  my  bill  of  fare  for  my  dinner  also.  For  the 
four  of  us  in  this  hut  we  had  six  biscuits,  of  the  size  above  de- 
scribed ;  one  pound  of  canned  meat,  one  small  can  of  corn,  one 


224 


ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


small  can  of  mock-turtle  soup — each  one-pound  cans — making 
altogether  a  little  over  three  pounds  and  a  half,  including  the 
bread,  for  four  persons;  and  this  is  an  extra  allowance,  because  it 
is  '  thanksgiving.'  Mixing  all  the  above  in  one  mess  together,  it 
was  just  warmed  over  the  lamp,  and  our  dinner  was  announced. 
"The  men  had  their  cans  of  mock-turtle  soup  and  corn,  and 
whatever  there  was  that  was  extra  just  the  same;  there  are  no 
officers'  messes  aboard  the  floe.  It  would  have  been  pleasant 
and  appropriate  to  have  had  some  general  religious  service  in  rec- 
ognition of  our  national  Thanksgiving;  but,  perceiving  that  it 
could  not  be  unanimous,  I  did  not  attempt  it.  The  Germans 
appreciate  Christmas,  but  are  not  familiar  with  our  'Thanks- 


giving. 


A  TEBILOITB  HITUATION. 


m  SlUUT  OF  LAND.  225 


CHAP'  ER  XTIII. 

Can  sec  the  Land. — Hanss  Hut, — Nearly  dark  :  two  Hours  of  Twilight. — Economiz- 
ing Paper. — Northern  Tjghts. — Lying  still  to  save  Food.  —  "All  Hair  and  Tail.  ' 
— Weighing  out  Kations  by  Ounces.  Heavy  Ice  goes  with  the  Current. — The  Es- 
quimaux afraid  of  (.'annibalisni. — Fox-trap. — Set  a  Seal-net. — Great  Responsibil- 
ity, but  little  Authority. — All  well,  but  hungry. — The  fear  of  Death  starved  and 
frozen  out  of  me. — The  shortest  and  darkest  Day. — Christmas. 

"iVby. 30.  Yesterday  it  was  cloudy,  with  a  westerly  wind;  to- 
day it  is  also  cloudy,  but  almost  calm  and  comparatively  bright, 
with  a  streak  of  twilight  to  the  southward  at  noon.  We  can  see 
the  land,  for  our  eyes  have  become  accustomed  to  this  kind  of 
dim  light,  and  partially  adapted  to  it;  as  it  comes  on  gradually, 
of  course  it  does  not  appear  so  dark  to  us  as  it  would  to  one  sud- 
denly dropped  down  on  our  floe  from  the  latitude  of  New  York. 
They  would  find  it  perhaps  as  dark  as  some  of  the  shiit-up  par- 
lors into  which  visitors  are  turned,  to  stumble  about  until  they 
can  find  a  seat,  while  the  servant  goes  to  announce  them. 

"It  is  a  long  time — nearly  a  month — since  we  lost  sight  of  the 
land.  All  hopes  of  seeing  the  Polaris  have  also  long  ago  vanish- 
ed; but  the  hope  of  getting  to  the  land  is  not  entirely  abandon- 
ed. I  have  been  over  the  floe  to  the  old  house  to-day  after  can- 
vas. I  called  on  the  men  for  some  of  them  to  go  with  me.  Four 
responded  to  the  call — the  steward,  the  cook,  Peter,  and  Augus- 
tus. I  wanted  the  canvas  to  line  the  hut  of  the  native,  Hans. 
He  has  worked  late  and  early  to  make  the  men  comfortable,  and 
they  have  their  hut  comfortably  lined,  and  the  Esquimaux  ought 
to  be  too,  especially  as  the  little  children  are  there ;  and  Hans'.s 
wife  is  continually  working  for  the  men,  by  mending  and  mak- 
ing for  them.     More  of  this  hereafter. 

"Z>tc.  2.  Yesterday,  the  first  day  of  winter,  according  to  our 
almanacs — our  winter  commenced  on  the  12th  day  of  August, 
when  we,  in  the  Polaris,  were  beset  in  the  ice  near  Cape  Frazier. 
To-day  Hans,  poor  fellow,  is  sick,  and  can  not  hunt;  but  Joe  has 
been  out  sealing,  in  spite  of  the  increasing  darkness,  but  he  can 
find  no  water.     We  have  a  very  little  light  from  11  a.m.  until 

15 


226  AiKmc;  kxpeuiences. 

about  1  P.M. — two  hours  of  glimmering  light,  so  that  we  can  just 
make  out  to  walk  over  the  uneven  ice,  and  then  total  darkness 
is  on  us  again.  It  must  be  still  darker  on  the  Polaris,  if  she  is 
still  afloat;  for  we  are  farther  to  the  southward  than  she.  If  we 
keep  drifting  to  the  south,  as  I  have  no  doubt  we  shall,  because 
thai  is  the  set  of  the  current,  to  the  S.S.W.,  the  light  will  in- 
crease in  proportion  to  the  rate  at  which  we  float. 

"I  do  not  write  every  day — it  icould  take  loo  much  paper.  I 
had  some  blank  note-books  in  one  of  the  ship's  bags.  On  look- 
ing for  them  a  few  days  ago,  found  they  were  all  gone.  Some 
of  these  men  seize  hold  of  any  thing  they  can  lay  hands  on  and 
secrete  it.  But  no  wonder ;  they  were  taught  that  on  board  the 
Polaris;  they  saw  so  much  of  pilfering  going  on  there.  It  would 
have  demoralized  worse  men  than  these. 

"I  can  scarcely  get  an  order  obeyed  if  I  give  one;  and  if  I 
want  any  thing  done,  I  try  to  do  it  myself,  if  it  is  within  the 
compass  of  one  man's  strength.  One  thing,  there  is  not  much  to 
do,  and  hence  not  much  necessity  of  giving  orders  or  subjecting 
myself  to  unwilling  obedience. 

^''Dec.  6.  Last  night  there  was  a  fine  display  of  northern  lights; 
the  first  I  have  seen  since  we  have  been  on  the  floe.  There  may 
have  been  others  while  we  were  all  asleep.  What  first  attracted 
my  attention  was  a  peculiar  dark  segment  immediately  over  the 
horizon ;  and  as  I  had  often  seen  the  aurora  borcalis  spring  from 
just  such  a  beginning,  I  watched  it  closely,  and  soon  intensely 
luminous  streamers  sprang  from  it,  rising  to  a  height  of  about 
thiriy  degrees ;  it  was  a  bright  and  beautiful  sight,  but  not  so 
brilliant  as  many  which  I  have  seen.  The  wind  was  light,  from 
the  N.W.,  and  I  should  judge  the  temperature  to  be  ton  or  twelve 
below  zero.     I  have  no  thermometer,  and  can  not  tell  exactly. 

"7>c.  7.  Last  night,  being  clear,  Mr,  Meyers  was  enabled  to 
take  an  observation.  He  has,  fortunately,  some  instruments — a 
sextant  and  ice-horizon,  and  also  a  star  chart;  and  so  he  took 
the  declination  and  right  ascension  of  y,  Cassiopeaj,  But  he  has 
no  nautical  almanac  to  correct  his  work  by,  so  that  he  can  only 
approximate  our  real  latitude.  He  makes  it  74°  4'  N.  lat,, 
67°  53'  W,  long.;  but  I  do  not  think  it  is  any  thing  like  that. 
If  we  are  as  far  south  as  that,  we  have  drifted  faster  than  I  think 
we  have, 

"  There  is  no  change  in  our  way  of  living.    We  lie  still  in  our 


AN    AlUOEA. 


LYING  STILL  TO  SAVE  FOOD.  229 

snow  burrows  much  of  the  time,  partly  because  there  is  nothing 
to  do — it  is  now  loo  dark  to  do  any  thing,  if  there  was — but  aiso 
because  stirring  round  and  exercising  makes  us  hungry,  and  we 
can  not  afford  to  eat.  The  stiller  we  keep  and  the  warmer,  the 
less  we  can  live  on  ;  and,  moreover,  my  clothing  is  very  thin  and 
light,  quite  unfit  for  exposure  in  this  cold.  Being  hard  at  work 
when  the  Polaris  parted  from  us,  and  that  event  being  so  unex- 
pected to  me,  I  had  not  on  even  the  usual  amount  of  clothing 
worn  in  this  climate.  The  natives  have  been  endeavoring  to 
hunt,  but  it  is  in  vain. 

"  The  darkness  is  on  us ;  we  must  wait  for  light.  The  day 
before  yesterday,  one  of  the  men — Bill,  I  think  it  was — shot  a 
fox ;  it  was  a  poor,  thin  creature,  with  hardly  a  pound  of  flesh  on 
its  bones — 'all  hair  and  tail,'  as  one  of  the  men  said;  however, 
they  ate  what  there  was  of  it,  and  picked  his  bones  clean. 

"Our  allowance  is  now  divided  out  by  ounces.  For  a  day's 
rations,  we  now  have  six  ounces  of  bread,  eight  of  canned  meat, 
two  of  ham,  and  can  only  allow  half  of  this  for  the  children. 
These  ingredients  are  mixed  with  brackish  water  to  season  it, 
and  warmed  over  the  lamp  or  fire;  and  this  is  all  we  have,  and 
it  is  more  than  we  can  really  spare  from  our  fast-decreasing 
store.  While  the  darkness  lasts  we  can  not  hope  to  get  seals, 
and  bears  only  come  where  seals  are  to  be  caught;  so  we  need 
not  look  for  them  ;  and  foxes  are  usually  in  the  trail  of  bears.  I 
was  in  hopes,  when  that  poor,  thin  fox  was  caught  the  other  day, 
that  a  bear  might  come  along,  but  we  have  seen  none. 

"A  few  days  ago  it  appeared  as  though  we  were  nearing  Cape 
York;  but  I  am  satisfied  it  is  not  so.  We  are  surely  going  to 
the  west  side.  Mr.  Meyers  thinks  we  are  going  to  the  east.  He 
judges,  I  suppose,  by  the  winds  being  mostly  from  the  north- 
west; but  the  ice  does  not  obey  the  winds — heavy  ice,  I  mean, 
like  this;  the  loose  floating  surface-ice  often  does.  But  if  the 
currents  have  not  changed  their  natural  course,  we  must  go  to 
the  S.S.W. 

"It  would  not  matter  in  the  least  what  opinion  was  entertained 
as  to  the  course  of  the  floe,  only  that  it  makes  the  men  uneasy ; 
thinking  that  they  are  approaching  the  east  coast,  and  nearing 
the  latitude  of  Disco,  where  they  know  there  is  a  large  store  of 
provisions  left  for  the  expedition.  I  am  afraid  they  will  start 
off,  and  endeavor  to  reach  the  land  on  that  side ;  and  if  they  do, 


230  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

it  means  death  to  some  or  all  of  them.  None  of  us,  after  living 
on  such  short  allowance  for  nearly  two  months,  could  hope  to 
bear  up  under  the  fiitigue  of  walking  and  dragging  a  boat-load 
of  things  over  this  rough  hummocky  ice.  The  thought  has  oc- 
curred to  me  whether  they  might  not  take  the  boat,  load  it  with 
what  provisions  we  have,  and  leave  us  and  Hans's  family  with- 
out resource ;  but  I  will  not  harbor  such  thoughts  without  proof 

"One  thing  set  me  on  this  train  of  thinking:  Joe,  who  has 
all  along  kept  his  gun  and  pistol,  and  did  not  seem  willing  even 
to  lend  me  the  latter,  has  voluntarily  brought  it  to  me.  lie  says 
'  he  don't  like  the  look  out  of  the  men's  eves.'  I  know  what  .  e 
fears;  he  thlnls  they  v: ill  first  kill  (ind  eat  Hans  and  fiimibj^  and 
then  he  knoios  IIannah''s,  Punci/s,  and  his  turn  would  be  next.  God 
forbid  that  any  of  this  company  should  be  tempted  to  such  a 
crime !  However,  I  have  the  pistol  now,  and  it  will  go  hard  with 
any  one  who  harms  even  the  smallest  child  on  this  God-made 
raft.     Hannah  seems  much  alarmed. 

"Setting  aside  the  crime  of  cannibalism  —  for  if  it  is  God's 
will  that  we  should  die  by  starvation,  why,  let  us  die  like  men, 
not  like  brutes,  tearing  each  other  to  pieces — it  would  be  the 
worst  possible  policy  to  kill  the  poor  natives.  They  are  our 
best,  and  I  may  say  only,  hunters;  no  white  man  can  catch  seal 
like  an  Esquimau,  who  has  practiced  it  all  his  life.  It  would 
indeed  be  'killing  the  goose  which  lays  the  golden  cgg.^ 

"/^ec.  12.  No  change  the  last  five  days;  the  wind  still  westerly, 
and  very  cold — from  21°  to  22°  below  zero.  The  cold  is  more 
piercing  and  penetrating,  from  the  little  heat  in  our  systems,  from 
lack  of  food.  If  we  had  enough  to  eat,  we  could  do  without  fire ; 
but  no  fire,  and  hardly  enough  to  eat  to  keep  from  starving,  puts 
us  in  such  a  condition  that  we  can  not  resist  the  cold.  Probably 
no  one  suffers  more  than  I  do  in  this  respect,  as  1  have  less  cloth- 
ing than  any  of  the  others;  but  Mr.  Meyers  feels  it  badly  too, 
for  he  is  not  well.  The  intensitv  of  the  cold  has  frozen  over  all 
the  cracks,  so  that  no  seal  can  be  found,  and  there  is  too  little 
light  to  see  them  anyway. 

"  Hans  is  better.  He  had  fixed  up  an  ice-trap,  and  yesterday 
he  caught  a  fox  ;  it  was  a  small  white  one.  If  there  is  any  way 
to  catch  an  animal,  these  Esquimaux  will  do  it.  Now  he  has 
made  a  hole  in  the  ice,  and  set  a  seal-net,  but,  so  fjir,  without  suc- 
cess.    If  a  seal  is  not  caught  soon,  we  shall  be  without  even  a 


FIRMNESS  NECESSARY.  231 

light  in  our  hut;  and  as  there  is  but  a  remnant  of  the  boat  left, 
all  will  have  to  eat  their  rations  cold.  As  if,  too,  all  these  mis- 
erable circumstances  were  not  enough  to  bear,  the  men  begin 
to  complain,  at  least  the  German  portion,  which  is  the  majority. 
Thev  do  not  seem  to  have  self-control  or  the  true  courage  of  en- 
durance.  If  there  were  any  thing  that  could  be  done  to  relieve 
us  from  our  uncomfortable  position,  God  knows  I  would  be  the 
first  to  do  it;  but  at  present  we  are  powerless  to  alter  any  thing 
for  the  better.  If  they  had  moved  a  little  sharper,  and  been  will- 
ing to  abandon  their  traps  the  morning  after  we  parted  with  the 
Polaris^  they  and  we  might  all  have  been  on  board  of  her  now. 

"  I  have  since  understood  that  they  had  heard  of  the  drift  of 
the  Hansa  crew,  and  the  gratuity  of  one  thousand  thalers  do- 
nated by  the  Government  to  each  man  of  that  party,  and  that 
they  thought  if  they  should  drift  likewise  thoy  would  get  double 
pay  from  Congress.  But  little  did  t>ey  realize  the  difference  in 
the  circumstances!  The  ^fansa  party  had  ample  time  to  get  all 
they  wanted  from  the  vessel  —  provisions,  clothing,  fuel,  and  a 
house-frame.  And  then  the  climate  on  the  east  coast  of  Green- 
land is  moderate  in  comparison  to  that  of  the  west.  If  this  did 
influence  them,  I  fear  they  will  realize,  by  months  of  suffering, 
the  sad  mistake  they  have  made.  However,  they  are  organized 
now,  and  appear  determined  to  control.  They  were  masters  of 
the  Polaris,  and  want  to  be  masters  here.  They  go  swaggering 
about  with  their  pistols  and  rifles,  presented  to  each  of  them 
after  the  death  of  Captain  Hall. 

"  I  see  the  necessity  of  being  very  careful,  though  I  shall  pro- 
tect the  natives  at  any  cost;  any  disorder  now  would  be  ruinous, 
I  must  be  wary  as  well  as  firm.  Situated  as  we  are,  there  must 
not  be  the  beginning  of  quarreling.  That  would  be  fatal.  They 
think  the  natives  a  burden,  particularly  Hans  and  his  family, 
and  they  would  gladly  rid  themselves  of  them.  Then  they  think 
there  would  be  fewer  to  consume  the  provisions,  and  if  they 
moved  toward  the  shore,  there  would  not  be  the  children  to  lug. 
With  the  return  of  light  and  game,  I  hope  things  will  be  better, 
if  I  can  manage  to  keep  all  smooth  till  then.  But  I  must  say  I 
never  was  so  tried  in  my  life. 

^^Dec.  16,  No  material  change  ;  still  getting  on  in  the  old  style; 
wind  mostly  westerly  and  very  light.  To-day  there  is  a  strong 
breeze  from  the  same  quarter.     It  is  now  noon,  and  we  can  see 


232  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

tolerably  well  to  make  our  way  over  tbc  jagged  ice,  but  every 
once  in  a  while  some  one  falls;  but  it  is  partly  from  weakness. 
We  are  all  what  may  be  called  well,  yet  some  complain  of  pains 
in  the  stomach.  No  wonder!  —  six  ounces  of  broad,  and  five 
ounces  of  meat  per  day  in  this  climate!  Few  could  stand  it 
without  pain.  How  long  we  shall  be  able  to  bear  it  I  can  not 
foresee ;  but  we  can  not  use  more  with  any  regard  to  our  ul- 
timate safety.  If  we  can  weather  it  till  the  end  of  March  or  the 
first  of  April,  we  can  then  rely  on  our  guns;  but  game  failing  us 
then,  we  perish. 

'''' The  fear  of  death  has  long  ago  been  starved  and  frozen  out  of  me; 
but  if  I  perish,  I  hope  that  some  of  this  company  will  be  saved  to 
tell  the  truth  of  the  doings  on  the  Polaris.  Those  who  have  baf- 
fled and  spoiled  this  expedition  ought  not  to  escape.  They  can 
not  escape  their  God ! 

"Z>6c.  20,  To-day  seals  have  been  perceived  under  the  ice 
by  Joe  and  Hans,  but  they  could  not  get  at  them.  It  gives  all 
courage,  however,  to  know  that  there  is  life-giving  food  right 
under  us,  only  we  must  wait  a  little  longer  for  light,  so  that  we 
can  see  to  shoot  them.  To-morrow  is  the  shortest  day,  and  then 
in  about  three  weeks  we  may  hope  to  see  the  sun  once  more. 

"J9fc.  22.  We  have  turned  the  darkest  point  of  our  tedious 
night,  and  it  is  cheering  to  think  that  the  sun,  instead  of  going 
away  from,  is  coming  toward  us,  though  he  is  not  yet  visible. 
The  shortest  and  darkest  day  has  gone,  and  I  am  thankful. 
Friends  at  home  are  now  preparing  for  Cliristmas,  and  so  are  we 
too.  Out  of  our  destitution  we  have  still  reserved  something 
with  which  to  keep  in  remembrance  the  blessed  Christmas-time. 

^^Dec.  23,  24.  Strong  northerly  winds.  Both  nights  there  was 
quite  a  brilliant  aurora;  it  seems  to  come  timely  to  lighten  up 
our  Christmas -eve.  We  shall  have  a  slight  addition  to  our  ra- 
tions to-morrow,  and  a  slight  change  of  diet  too.  All  of  our 
iiams  were  used  up  about  a  month  ago,  except  one ;  this  wc  de- 
termined to  save  to  celebrate  our  Christmas.  It  will  be  but  a 
small  portion  for  each,  but  it  will  be  a  change,  and  mark  the  day. 
It  is  not  very  cold — about  zero, 

^^Christmas-day!  All  the  civilized  world  rejoicing  over  the  an- 
niversary of  our  Saviour's  birth  —  and  well  they  may ;  but, 
though  we  are  out  of  the  civilized  world,  and  in  a  world  of  ice, 
storms,  cold,  and  threatening  starvation,  we  are  still  trying  to  re- 


OUR  CHKISTMAS  DINNER. 


288 


joice  too.  Wo  know  and  feel  that  God  has  not  forgotten  us, 
that  wc  are  his  children  still,  and  that  he  watches  over  us  here, 
as  well  as  over  those  who  dwell  in  safety  in  the  cities  and  in  se- 
cure country  homes,  lie  is  trying  us  by  a  peculiar  providence 
indeed,  but  he  has  not  deserted  us.  We  will  praise  his  name 
forever. 

"  It  is  now  12  noon,  and  the  twilight  grows  a  little  clearer.  I 
have  just  finished  breakfast.  We  breakfast  late  because  we  only 
have  two  meals  a  day,  and  the  day  is  better  so  divided.  My 
Christmas  breakfast  consisted  of  four  ounces  of  bread,  and  two 
and  a  half  ounces  of  pemmican  warmed  over  the  lamp.  Some  of 
the  men  call  this  'soup,'  and  some  call  it  'tea,'  This  is  a  full 
ounce  over  the  usual  allowance  of  bread.  Even  that  additional 
morsel  of  bread  was  a  treat,  and  very  welcome.  Our  Christmas 
dinner  was  gorgeous.  We  had  each  a  small  piece  of  frozen  ham, 
two  whole  biscuits  of  hard  bread,  a  few  mouthfuls  of  dried  ap- 
ples, and  also  a  few  swallows  of  seals'  blood  ! 

"  The  last  of  the  ham,  the  last  of  the  apples,  and  the  last  of  our 
present  supply  of  seal's  blood!     So  ends  our  Christmas  feast! 


^^=~?) 


PLACINO  HTUREH  ON   TIIK  lUK. 


23-i  ARCTIC  EXI'ERIENCES. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Taking  account  of  Stock. — Hope  lies  to  the  Hoiith. — Eating  Seal-skin. — Find  it  ver)' 
tough. — How  to  divide  a  Seal  (i  la  Esquimau. — Give  the  IJaby  the  Eyes. — Differ- 
ent Species  of  Seal. — New-year's  Day,  1873. — Economizing  our  Lives  away. — Just 
see  the  Western  Shore. — "Plenty  at  Disco." — Thirty-six  below  Zero. — Clothing 
disai»]iears,  — A  glorious  Sound.  —  " Kyack !  Kyack  I"  — Starvation  j)ostponed. — 
Thoroughly  frightened. — Little  Tobias  sick. — Oh,  for  a  sound-headed  Man  I — Four 
ounces  for  a  Meal. — The  Sun  re-appears  after  an  Absence  of  eighty-three  Days. 

"  I  HAVE  been  examining  what  we  have  left  in  the  store-house, 
and  which  I  have  estimate^  must  last  us  until  April.  We  have 
nine  cans  of  pemmican,  and  six  bags  of  bread.  At  our  present 
rate  of  allowance  the  pemmican  will  last  two  months,  and  the 
bread  three.  By  that  time  I  hope  we  shall  be  where  we  can  get 
game. 

''The  natives  arc  wonderfully  persevering  in  hunting,  but  they 
can't  catch  any  thing  so  long  as  there  is  no  open  water.  I  can 
just  .see  land  to-day,  but  it  is  forty  or  fifty  miles  off;  it  is  the 
west  coast,  and  latitude,  I  should  think,  about  72°.  There  is  a 
bright  streak  of  twilight  over  it.  We  are  gaining  fast  now  on 
the  liglit;  it  travels  toward  us,  and  we  are  drifting  toward  it.  I 
have  often  thought,  while  1  have  been  on  the  floe,  liow  different 
my  feelings  would  have  been  if  we  had  been  drilling  the  other 
way,  into  the  night  and  north,  instead  of  aw;ty  from  it,  as  we  are. 
That  would  have  been  cheerless,  indeed  —  I  may  say  absolutely 
hopeless.  A.s  it  is  there  is  some  hope,  if  we  can  keep  together 
harmoniously,  and  are  able  to  get  some  game.  I  hope  yet  to 
land  safely  o.i  the  coast  of  Labrador,  or,  better  yet,  if  we  drift 
safe  to  the  whaling-grounds,  we  may  have  the  good  fortune  to  be 
rescued  by  a  whaler. 

"I  hope  we  will  have  the  sun  by  the  20th  of  January.  Our 
drift,  I  think,  has  been  about  six  degrees  in  two  months,  and  in  a 
south-west  direction.     There  is  a  strong  breeze  blowing. 

"/>c.  26.  Yesterday,  toward  evening,  our  strong  breeze  in- 
creased to  a  gale,  and  is  still  blowing  with  a  heavy  drift  of  snow; 
the  wind  is  from  the  north-north-west.     This  is  our  first  gale 


"WELL,  BUT  VERY  rOOll  IN  FLESEI.'  235 

since  the  latter  part  of  November.  It  is  now  two  o'clock  (after- 
noon), and  the  men  have  not  yet  turned  out  to  get  their  pem- 
micun  tea.  The  Esquimaux  are  off,  looking  out  for  their  traps. 
They  have  two  seal-traps  set  in  the  ice,  and  two  fox-traps. 

"/>>ec.  27.  The  gale  has  moderated,  but  still  a  strong  breeze; 
wind  from  the  same  point.  Natives  out  as  usual,  looking  for 
seal;  and  they  found  the  ice  broken  in  many  places:  they  saw 
two  seals,  but  could  not  get  them.  There  is  still  so  little  light 
that  they  can  only  see  to  shoot  plainly  for  about  two  hours  in  the 
middle  of  the  day — an  hour  before  and  an  hour  after  noon.  To- 
day, even  at  12  M.,  it  is  dark,  being  cloudy. 

"  We  are  fortunately  all  well,  but  very  poor  in  flesh,  and  on 
attempting  to  do  any  kind  of  work  find  ourselves  very  weak.  I 
think  this  is  the  secret  of  the  men  keeping  so  quiet.  They  are 
evidently  uneasy,  and  from  the  talk  which  goes  on  in  their  hut, 
and  which  I  sometimes  hear  of,  they  plan  great  things;  but  when 
they  get  outside  and  face  the  cold,  and  feel  their  weakness,  they 
are  glad  to  creep  back  again  to  their  shelter  and  such  safety  and 
certainty  as  we  have. 

"We  had,  in  our  hut,  saved  a  few  pieces  of  dried  seal-skin  for 
repairing  clothing,  but  Ilannah  has  just  cooked  some  pieces,  and 
we  are  trying  to  make  a  meal  of  it.  The  natives  have  very 
strong  teeth,  and  can  go  through  almost  any  thing.  I  ate  some 
of  it,  but  it  made  my  jaws  ache  to  chew  it,  it  was  so  very  tough. 
We  ate  up  all  the  refuse  of  the  oil-lamp  —  tried-out  blubber;  in 
fact,  we  eat  any  thing  we  can  get  that  the  teeth  can  masticate, 
and  which  will  aid  in  sustaining  life  until  we  can  get  seals  to 
help  out  our  allowance. 

"i>ec.  29.  Strong  breeze  from  the  west  yesterday,  and  to-day 
ligbt  breeze  from  east  by  south.  Yesterday  Joe  and  Hans  were 
out  sealing ;  Hans  shot  one  seal  yesterday,  but  lost  him.  It 
seemed  very  stupid,  but  I  suppose  he  could  not  help  it.  If  we 
were  getting  plenty  we  should  not  notice  such  an  accident.  Joe 
also  shot  a  seal  to-day,  but  as  it  floated  away  from  him,  he  shout- 
ed out  as  loud  as  he  could  call  ft)r  his  kyack,  and  some  of  the 
men  carried  it  over  to  him.  He  got  in,  and  was  fortunate  enough 
to  bag  his  game;  and  we  have  all  dined  on  it  this  evening. 

"  When  a  seal  is  properly  divided,  there  is  but  one  way  to  do 
it.  First  the  'blanket'  is  taken  off;  that  is,  the  skin, which  in- 
cludes the  blubber — it  is  all  '  one  and  inseparable '  as  it  comes 


236  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

from  the  creature ;  then  it  is  opened  carefully,  in  such  a  way  as 
to  prevent  the  blood  being  lost :  it  is  placed  in  such  a  position 
that  the  blood  will  run  into  the  internal  cavity;  this  is  then  care- 
fully scooped  out,  and  either  saved  for  future  use  or  passed  round 
lor  each  to  drink  a  portion.  The  liver  and  heart  are  considered 
delicacies,  and  are  divided  as  equally  as  may  be,  so  that  all  get 
;i  piece.  The  brain,  too,  is  a  tidbit,  and  that  is  either  reserved  or 
divided.  The  eyes  are  given  to  the  youngest  child.  Then  the 
llesh  is  cut  up  into  equal  portions,  according  to  the  size  of  the 
company;  with  us  it  was  weighed  out.  Sometimes  the  person 
who  distributes  it  cuts  it  up  as  fairly  as  he  can,  and  then,  stand- 
ing with  his  back  to  the  pieces,  another  person  calls  out  the 
names  of  the  company  in  succession,  and  each  receives  his  por- 
tion, without  the  distributer  being  able  to  show  any  favoritism. 
The  entrails  are  usually  scraped,  and  allowed  to  freeze,  and  are 
jifterward  eaten.  The  skins  are  usually  saved  by  the  natives  for 
clothing,  and  also  for  many  other  domestic  purposes,  such  as  ky- 
acks,  oomiaks;  the  reins  and  harnesses  for  dog-sleds,  tents ;  and, 
in  fact,  to  almost  every  thing  which  is  worn  or  used  by  the  Es- 
quimaux, the  seal  furnishes  something.  Even  the  membranous 
tissues  of  the  body  are  sometimes  stretched  and  dried,  for  the 
purpose  of  making  semi-transparent  windows  to  their  huts. 

"But  we  had  only  two  uses  for  a  seal;  we  ate  the  whole,  ex- 
cept such  portions  of  the  blubber  as  had  to  be  reserved  for  the 
lamps.  This  seal  that  Joe  had  shot  was  but  a  small  one,  and 
when  eighteen  hungry  people  had  dined  there  was  nothing  left 
but  the  skin  and  entrails;  we  shall  eat  that  too,  but  not  to-night. 
The  blubber  derived  from  this  little  seal  was  almost  invaluabij 
to  us  for  our  lamps ;  and  then  its  flesh  saved  so  much  out  of  our 
bread  and  pemmican ;  it  seems  also  to  put  new  strength  into 
every  body.  The  blubber  will  last  us  for  three  weeks  to  warm 
our  food. 

'*  The  small  Greenland  seal  {Phoca  vituUna)  is  a  very  pretty 
creature  in  the  water;  its  fur  is  a  shiny  white,  beautifully  spot- 
ted with  obscure  dark  and  black  spots  on  the  back  and  sides, 
the  under  part  being  white ;  its  ordinary  weight  fifty  or  sixty 
pounds.  These  kinds  of  seal  appear  singly  or  with  families,  but 
do  not  go  in  shoals,  as  the  '  springing  seal '  {Phoca  hispkla)  does. 
These  appear  much  more  frolicsome  than  the  others,  and  they 
play  together  in  the  open  water  very  much  like  the  porpoise, 


NEW-YEAR'S  DAY,  1873.  237 

except  that  their  movement  is  more  like  springing,  and  not  so 
much  rolling  as  the  latter.  The  large  '  hooded '  or  '  bearded  ' 
seal  {Phoca  barbata)  is  immensely  larger  than  the  others,  and  its 
movements  more  ponderous.  When  assailed  it  makes  a  revolu- 
tion, and  goes  down  head  first,  like  a  whale;  while  the  small  seal 
drops  backward,  tail  down,  the  head  disappearing  last.  The 
brown  seal's  fur  of  commerce  is  mostly  taken  from  the  seals 
found  in  Southern  or  Pacific  waters,  and  is  totally  unlike  the 
Greenland  seal. 

'■^ New-year'' s  Day^  Jan.  1, 1873.  '  Happy  New-year !'  IIow  the 
sound,  or,  rather,  the  thought  —  for  the  sound  I  do  not  hear — 
reminds  one  of  friends,  and  genial  faces,  and  happy  groups  of 
young  and  old  !  We  shall  not  make  many  '  New-year's  calls ' 
to-day;  nor  will  the  ladies  of  our  party  have  any  trouble,  in 
ciphering  up  their  'callers  !'  Some  of  our  young  men,  it  is  true, 
may  be  troubled  to  keep  their  footing,  but  it  will  not  be  witli 
overmuch  winu  and  revelry.  A  happy  New -year  for  all  the 
world  but  us  poor,  cold,  half  starved  wretches.  It  is  the  coldest 
day  we  have  had  since  we  have  been  on  the  floe — 29°  below 
zero.  If  well  fed  and  clothed,  would  think  nothing  of  that,  but 
as  it  is,  this  bitter  wind  searches  one  through  and  through,  letting 
you  know  every  weak  and  sore  spot  in  the  body. 

^''New-year's  dinner.  I  have  dined  to-day  on  about  two  feet  of 
frozen  entrails  and  a  little  blubber;  and  I  only  wish  we  had 
plenty  even  of  that,  but  we  have  not.  In  addition  to  the  above, 
we  had  a  little  pemmican  tea. 

"The  natives  are  out  every  day  hunting, but  as  constantly  fail 
to  find  any  thing.     There  is  no  water,  and  therefore  no  seals. 

"Jan.  3.  Joe  found  three  seal-holes  to-day,  but  it  was  so  in- 
tensely cold  that  he  could  not  stay  to  watch  them.  Strong  breeze, 
and  23°  below  zero.  The  west  land  can  be  just  picked  up  in  the 
twilight. 

"The  men  seem  quieted  down.  They  have  learned  at  last  to 
use  a  lamp  for  cooking;  in  fact  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that 
they  should,  after  the  boat  was  used  up,  with  every  bit  of  spare 
timber  and  even  the  boards  they  laid  on.  There  was  no  other 
resource.  Our  one  remaining  boat  must  be  -preserved  at  all 
hazards. 

"  Jan.  7.  Been  very  cold  for  the  last  four  days ;  the  ice  very 
firm  and  compact  in  consequence,  and  inconsequence  of  that, 


288  AlKTIC  EXPKKIKNCES. 

too,  there  is  no  water,  and  no  more  seals  caught.  We  have  good 
twilight  now  about  six  hours  daily.  Our  pcmrniean  is  nearly 
gone — about  eight  cans  left,  and  five  bags  of  bread;  with  econo- 
my this  could  be  made  to  last  two  months  and  a  half  Well,  we 
have  economized  our  lives  almost  away  already.  The  question 
is  how  we  shall  hold  out. 

"The  west  land  can  just  be  seen  in  the  distance — about  eighty 
miles  off.  We  are  now  in  the  wide  part  of  IJaflin  Bay.  It  still 
keeps  very  cold,  ranging  from  20°  to  29°  below  zero. 

"f/a?j.  9.  Land  still  in  sight,  and  just  visible  in  the  bright  twi- 
light.    Tee  continues  firmly  closed,  and  no  water  anywhere. 

"  The  provisions  are  disappearing  very  fast — faster  than  the 
distribution  of  rations  will  account  for:  there  must  be  some  leak. 
1  would  set  a  watch  if  it  was  possible  for  us  to  stand  outside  in 
the  cold  nights,  but  in  our  reduced  condition  of  flesh  it  would  be 
fatal;  and  my  own  clothing  is  too  wretchedly  thin  to  think  of  it 
The  men  are  under  no  control.  They  keep  talking  of  trying  to 
start  overland,  and  say  they  are  determined  to  go  next  month  ; 
and  if  they  do,  the  poor,  deluded  wretches  will  go  to  the  east,  mis- 
led by  false  advice,  thinking  they  can  reach  Disco  and  'plenty,' 
when  we  are  all  the  time,  and  have  been,  except  i)erhaps  a  little 
while  at  the  start,  drifting  to  the  western  shore;  but  they  have 
full  faith  in  their  chosen  adviser,  and  will  not  listen  to  reason. 
If  they  were  only  risking  their  own  lives  it  would  be  bad 
enough;  but,  by  divided  counsels  and  divided  action,  the  safety 
of  the  whole  is  imperiled,  and  especially  as  they  are  determined 
to  take  our  only  boat.  Having  burned  up  one,  they  now  do  not 
hesitate  to  appropriate  the  other.  I  am  alone ;  no  one  to  assist 
me  in  case  of  need.  I  think  even  Joe  fancies  he  could  reach  the 
shore;  but  none  of  them  could  do  it — no  more  than  they  could 
walk  that  distance  over  hot  coals  of  fire.  If  they  persist  in  tak- 
ing the  boat,  we  shall  all  have  to  go  too,  for  what  can  we  do  on 
the  ice,  when  it  breaks  up,  without  a  boat?  We  must  all  inevi- 
tably perish.  We  have  no  sled,  as  they  have  burned  the  old  one 
and  all  the  pieces  of  plank  out  of  which  one  might  be  made;  so 
we  shall  have  to  drag  the  loaded  boat,  with  the  children  and  wom- 
en in,  besides  provisions,  over  this  rough,  hummocky  ice  —  and 
we  are  all  too  weak  to  stand  that  kind  of  work  now,  at  least 
most  of  us :  there  are  a  few  strong  ones,  who  have  kept  them- 
selves so  by  pilfering  the  food  from  our  store-house.    They  are 


DAVIS  STKAIT. 


239 


very  troublesome  men.  Much  as  it  goes  against  me,  I  must  try 
and  conciliate  them,  and  turn  them  from  their  purpose.  There 
i.s  some  little  time  yet  to  operate;  for  they  dare  not  start  in 
January. 

"  We  are  now  in  lat.  72°,  and  about  in  the  middle  of  the  strait — 
Davis  Strait.     There  is  more  chance  of  open  water  on  the  Green- 


OAI'TAIN   TYSON   IN    lUH   AUOTIO   OOBTUME. 


land  or  eastern  side,  but  little  or  no  chance  of  our  drifting  toward 
it,  either  this  month  or  next.  To  the  westward  all  looks  solid 
ice,  so  compact  there  is  no  chance  for  a  single  seal.  Could  we 
only  have  a  good  strong  southerly  gale  to  break  up  the  ice,  there 
would  be  some  hope.    Fresh  food  is  what  we  want,  and  we  can 


240  ARCTIC  EXPEUIENCES. 

not  get  it  with  this  condition  of  the  temperature — thirty-six  helow 
zero  at  noon.  How  would  those  poor,  {'oolish  men  stand  the  night 
without  their  huts,  and  exhausted  witli  travel  and  hauling  the 
boat?  But  I  have  no  one  to  co-operate  with  me.  All  in  the 
men's  hut  are  Germans  but  two — IJerron,  who  is  English,  and  the 
cook,  colored. 

"e/a/j.  12.  The  last  three  days  it  has  been  very  cold ;  thermom- 
eter standing  I'rom  35°  to  37°  below  zero.  To-day  I  thought  of 
looking  for  some  little  clothing — a  few  shirts  and  drawers,  which 
I  had  in  a  bag;  there  were  also  a  pair  of  pants,  and  a  vest  and 
several  pairs  of  stockings.  This  bag  was  thrown  over  with  the 
other  things  on  the  ice  almost  by  accident,  and  I  had  saved  them 
thus  far,  thinking,  whenever  we  took  to  traveling  over  the  ice,  I 
should  need  them  still  more  than  while  I  had  the  shelter  of  the 
hut.  But  they  are  not  to  be  found ;  bag  and  all  is  gone.  All 
my  little  additional  store,  which  I  had  relied  on  lor  traveling,  has 
been  stolen.  It  was  very  little,  but  I  needed  it  so  much,  being 
but  half  clau  at  the  best. 

"  I  have  thus  far  wintered  without  either  coat  or  pants,  hav- 
ing only  short  breeches.  I  was  &.iving  the  pants  to  walk  in. 
What  clothing  I  had  on  me  when  we  parted  from  thp  Pularis  I 
have  still,  not  having  had  them  off  my  back,  realizing  how  much 
more  I  should  need  the  change  when  traveling;  and  now,  when 
they  have  made  up  their  minds  to  travel,  without  consulting  me, 
they  have  robbed  me  of  every  thing. 

"There  is  no  alteration  in  the  ice,  and  as  there  has  been  so 
much  provision  stolen  we  may  be  compelled  to  risk  the  attempt 
to  get  to  the  land  in  search  of  water  and  game.  I  do  not  sup- 
pose we  can  hold  out ;  but  I  fear  it  will  have  to  be  tried  if  no 
seal  are  caught,  which  at  present  there  is  no  prospect  of;  and  if 
we  fail,  we  simply  perish.  But  as  things  are  going  now,  we  shall 
perish  here  if  we  stay.     It  ivill  be  a  struggle  for  life. 

'■'•Jan.  15.  Very  cold  the  last  few  days;  day  before  yesterday 
the  glass  (Mr.  Meyers'y  thermometer)  stood  at  40°  below  zero. 
Yesterday  it  was  cloudy  and  thick,  and  toward  evening  a  strong 
gale  sprung  up  from  the  westward,  and  is  now  (noon)  blowing 
very  heavy,  with  a  thick  snow-drift.  Hence  we  are  compelled  to 
keep  in  our  snow  burrows.  The  weather,  however,  is  not  so 
cold ;  it  has  moderated  considerably  since  the  gale  came  on.  Yes- 
terday it  was  only  —14°,  and  to-day  it  has  ranged  from  14°  to 


A  HKAL  SHOT.  241 

—  17°.  I  am  greatly  in  hopes  that  this  gale  will  open  the  ice,  so 
that  we  can  get  a  lew  seals.  We  have  been  very  saving  of  our 
oil,  so  we  have  a  little  lelt,  enough,  perhaps,  to  warm  our  food  for 
two  or  three  clays. 

"«/a«.  16.  The  gale  Las  abated ;  it  is  calm  this  morning,  but 
quite  thick ;  the  change  of  weather  has,  1  trust,  been  favorable 
for  us.  The  Esquimaux  went  oil'  early  looking  for  seals,  which 
I  hope  in  God  they  may  find. 

"  I  hear  a  pleasant  sound,  because  it  is  a  promising  one  for 
water;  the  ice  is  pushing  and  grinding,  which  will  surely  open 
cracks.  It  seems  strange  to  think  of  watching  and  waiting  with 
pleasure  for  your  foundations  to  break  beneath  you ;  but  such  is 
the  case.  In  our  circumstances  food  is  what  we  most  want;  with 
enough  of  seal -meat  we  can  face  all  other  sorts  of  danger,  but 
with  empty  stomachs  we  are  ill  prepared  to  meet  additional  dis- 
aster. 

"11.80  a.m.  a  glorious  sound  —  a  life- inspiring  shout!  I 
heard  the  natives  calling  for  their  '  kyack !'  That  means  they 
have  found  water,  and  water  means  seals.  I  called  to  the  men 
to  help  get  the  kyack ;  they  had  not  yet  turned  out,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  a  long  time  before  there  was  any  response  to  my 
call.  But  I  was  so  impatient  that,  even  moments  seemed  long. 
We  had  to  carry  the  kyack  about  a  mile.  Found  the  natives 
had  shot  a  seal,  which  we  got,  and  with  which  we  returned  in 
triumph. 

"  It  seems  as  though  God  lets  one  get  just  to  the  verge  of  de- 
spair, and  then  sends  some  mitigating  circumstance  to  relieve  the 
gloom.  But  I  have  never  quite  despaired  yet,  and  don't  mean 
to  while  life  remains.  This  seal  appears  to  have  come  just  in 
time  to  turn  the  men  from  their  purpose  of  traveling.  If  they 
can  get  enough  to  eat  they  will  be  content. 

"I  ordered  the  seal  to  be  taken  into  Joe's  hut.  As  he  did 
the  most  toward  getting  food,  I  thought  this  was  right.  One  of 
the  men,  however,  took  upon  himself  to  take  it  into  their  hut. 
What  with  the  evil  counsel  of  this  man  and  three  or  four  others, 
I  sometimes  fear  it  will  be  impossible  to  save  this  party  of  dis- 
obedient and  lawless  men.  They  have  divided  the  seal  to  suit 
themselves,  and  I  hope  they  are  now  satisfied ;  but  it  does  seem 
hard  on  the  natives,  who  have  hunted  day  after  day,  in  cold  and 
storm,  while  these  men  lay  idle  on  their  backs,  or  sat  nlaying 

16 


242  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

cards  in  the  shelter  of  their  huts,  mainly  built  by  these  same 
natives  whom  they  thus  wrong.  They  are  anxious  to  get  to 
Disco,  and  would  peril  their  lives  for  the  rum  which  they  think 
they  could  get  there,  I  should  be  as  glad  as  they  to  get  to  some 
civilized  station,  if  it  was  only  to  get  clean  clothes;  but  reason 
tells  me  we  could  not  accomplish  that  journey. 

"Our  dogs — we  have  two  left — came  in  somewhat  disabled; 
they  appear  to  have  had  a  skirmish  with  a  bear.  A  bear  would 
not  be  a  bad  addition  to  our  impoverished  larder. 

"'/ari.  17.  There  is  a  strong  breeze  from  the  north ;  quite  cold, 
with  a  slight  snow-drift.  The  natives  are  out  as  usual,  hunting 
for  seal.  They  only  got  a  small  portion  of  the  meat  and  a  little 
blubber  of  the  one  last  caught,  the  men  keeping  an  undue  pro- 
portion for  themselves.  This  way  of  managing  discourages  the 
natives  very  much ;  they  labor,  and  see  others  consuming  the 
fruits  of  it.  But  they  dare  not  say  much,  for  they  are  afraid  of 
their  lives;  but  I  know  how  they  feel,  for  they  have  less  reserve 
with  me.  There  does  not  appear  much  difference  among  the  men, 
excepting  the  English  steward,  Ilerron — he  I  believe  to  be  more 
conscientious.  .   :       •      .   . 

"These  men  brought  themselves  into  this  scrape  last  fall  by 
not  obeying  orders,  when  I  endeavored  to  get  back  to  the  ship. 
I  have  since  learned  that  some  of  them  thought  to  get  notoriety 
by  drifting  down  on  the  ice,  and  persuaded  themselves  that  they 
would  get  double  pay,  which  accounts  to  me  now  for  their  inert- 
ness then,  and  their  not  having  the  rudder  shipped,  and  only  the 
three  oars  in  the  boat ;  but  they  find  drifting  on  an  ice-floe  not 
so  pleasant.  The  provisions  not  holding  out  as  they  supposed, 
they  arc  now  thoroughly  frvjhiened. 

"I  expect  to  get  within  forty  or  fifty  miles  of  the  land  next 
month,  and  hope  to  save  most  of  the  party.  Ilans's  little  boy, 
about  six  years  old,  is  sick  now,  but  all  the  rest  are  well.  But 
to  travel  one  hundred  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  which  we 
must  do  to  reach  a  settlement,  dragging  the  boat  on  her  bottom, 
with  sleeping-gear,  guns,  ammunition,  provisions,  and  the  chil- 
dren, who  are  too  young  to  walk,  but  must  be  carried  over  the 
rough  ice  —  it  simply  can  not  be  done:  it  is  impossible.  In  a 
few  days  we  should  have  no  boat;  her  bottom  would  be  torn 
and  destroyed.  Yet  the  men  appear  to  hold  their  determination 
to  unshelter  the  women  and  children  in  the  month  of  February. 


SCARCITY  OF  FOOD.  24ii 

If  I  had  even  one  sound-headed  man  to  assist  me,  I  might  possi- 
bly prevent  them;  but  situated  as  I  am — powerless  against  nine 
— except  so  far  as  words  have  power;  and  just  now  they  seem 
insensible  to  reason. 

"  There  has  been,  I  suspect,  an  error  of  sixty  or  seventy  miles 
in  Mr.  Meyers's  brain  as  to  latitude  from  the  start.  It  could  not 
have  been,  I  think,  Northumberland  Island,  after  all,  from  which 
we  started.  Yet  how  he  could  be  so  far  out  I  don't  see  ;  but  he 
has  been  wrong  all  the  way  as  to  our  being  near  the  Greenland 
coast.  But  then,  as  he  says,  he  has  made  '  observations ;'  so  that 
ends  the  matter — for  the  present  There  is  probably  some  fault 
in  the  instruments. 

^^Evening.  The  Esquimaux  have  returned ;  they  found  water 
and  saw  some  seals  through  the  cracks,  but  did  not  get  any.  It 
was  so  very  cold  standing  watching  for  a  chance  to  shoot,  that  even 
they  could  not  bear  it,  and  returned.  The  glass  marks  38°  below 
zero,  and  with  a  strong  wind  blowing,  the  cold  is  very  piercing. 

"It  is  remarkable  how  soon  men  become  accustomed  to  hun- 
ger, dirt,  and  cold.  I  do  not  suffer  so  much  as  I  did  with  hunger, 
though  I  have  even  less  to  eat  than  at  first;  dirt  I  have  become 
in  a  measure  accustomed  to ;  and  the  cold  would  not  conquer  me 
had  I  a  fair  allowance  of  clothing.  But  as  it  is,  I  suffer  very 
much  from  this  cause. 

"  We  are  living  on  less  than  twelve  ounces  of  food  daily ;  that, 
if  divided  in  three  meals,  would  be  but  four  ounces  to  a  meal, 
which  is  not  enough  to  furnish  heat  or  enable  the  system  to  re- 
sist this  Arctic  cold.  Joe  and  Hans  say  that  they  have  very 
often  suffered  before  for  the  want  of  food,  but  they  have  never 
before  been  obliged  to  endure  any  thing  like  their  present  ex- 
perience. Considering  that  they  are  out  of  the  huts  so  much 
more  than  the  rest,  walking  and  hunting  around,  they  really 
ought  to  have  a  larger  allowance  of  the  food.  I  would  gladly 
give  it  them,  but  it  would  cause  open  mutiny  among  the  men  : 
and  such  harmony  as  can  be  preserved  I  am  bound  to  maintain, 
for  the  good  of  all.  Notwithstanding  all  my  discomforts,  my 
dark  and  dirty  shelter,  my  bed  of  wet  and  musty  musk-ox  skins, 
fireless  and  cheerless  and  hungry,  without  one  companion  who 
appreciates  the  situation,  I  shall  be  well  content,  and  even  hap- 
py, if  I  can  keep  this  party — worthy  and  worthless — all  togeth- 
er without  loss  of  life  until  April,  when  I  hope  for  deliverance. 


244  ARCTIC  EXl'EKIENCES. 

"e/c«j.  18.  Blowing  strong  from  the  north-west;  thermometer 
—28°.  Esquimaux  sealing.  We  can  see  a  few  holes  of  water 
in  a  northerly  direction.  If  the  ice  is  propelled  by  the  wind 
we  should  be  making  considerable  drift  to  the  south-east,  but  the 
current  will  prove  the  stronger,  I  think,  and  take  us  the  other 
way;  but  the  wind  may  possibly  prevail,  for  we  lost  sight  of  the 
west  coast  several  days  ago.  If  we  are  drifting  with  the  wind, 
I  shall  hope  to  raise  the  east  coast  as  the  sun  comes  to  the  hori- 
zon. I  think  he  will  appear  about  the  24th — six  days  more.  It 
will  be  a  blessed  sight,    ?  ■  .  «        ^  i     . 

"  How  our  two  dogs  live  I  know  not.  A  few  days  ago  Joe 
discovered  where  one  of  them  had  been  off  hunting  on  his  own 
account,  and  had  evidently  encountered  two  bears,  indicated  by 
the  appearance  of  the  ice,  and  held  them  at  bay  for  some  time. 
One  of  the  bears  must  have  hit  him,  for  he  came  bleeding  to  the 
hut.  The  wound  is  but  a  slight  scratch,  however,  and  will  soon 
heal.         ;  ,    :/ 

"«/an.  19,  A.M.  Fair,  with  light,  variable  winds.  Joe  and  Hans 
hunting.  Yesterday  they  found  water,  and  saw  a  number  of 
seals;  but  it  was  blowing  heavy,  and  was  very  cold.  Joe  says 
he  tried  to  shoot,  but  that  he  shook  so  with  the  cold  that  he 
could  not  hold  his  gun  steady,  and  that  his  fingers  were  so  numb 
that  he  could  not  feel  the  trigger  of  his  gun,  and  so  the  seal  es- 
caped. The  Esquimaux  work  hard  for  themselves  and  for  us; 
but  to-day  there  is  little  prospect  that  they  can  find  water.  The 
wind  moderated  in  the  night,  but  it  was  so  cold  that  all  the  holes 
froze  up, 

-'■Afternoon.  Since  writing  the  above,  at  9  a,m,,  the  great  event 
has  occurred :  the  sun  has  re-appeared,  after  an  absence  of  eighty- 
three  days.  The  very  sight  gives  happiness  such  as  those  can  not 
know  who  see  his  cheering  beams  every  day.  The  sun  means 
more  than  light  to  us:  it  means  better  hunting,  better  health,  re- 
lief from  despondency;  it  means  hope  in  every  sense,  for  his 
beams  will  lead  us,  God  willing,  in  the;  path  of  final  rescue.  He 
has  come  this  time  earlier  than  I  expected.  We  must  have  drift- 
ed faster  than  we  have  realized.  Last  year,  when  we  were  on 
board  the  Polaris^  the  sun  was  absent  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
days ;  but  that  was  in  our  winter-quarters,  in  lat.  81°  38'  N. ;  and 
we  are  now  so  much  farther  south  that  the  sun  comes  to  us  ear- 
lier.    The  sun  remained  above  the  horizon  about  two  hours,  dip- 


THE  SUN  RE-APPEARS. 


245 


ping  a  little  after  one  o'clock,  Mr,  Meyers  reports,  having  taken 
an  observation  of  Polaris  (the  'north  star'),  and  of  y  (Cassiopeia) 
at  their  lower  culmination,  that  our  latitude  is  about  70°  1'  40" 
N.,  and  our  longitude  60°  0'  3^"  W.  We  should  probably  have 
seen  the  sun  even  yesterday,  had  it  not  been  for  some  interven- 
ing icebergs  of  great  height,  which  limit  our  view  in  the  direction 
in  which  he  appeared.  The  sun  will  now  continue  to  cheer  us, 
and  God  in  his  goodness  has  sent  us  a  seal  to-day,  to  warm  and 
lighten  our  dreary  hut. 


UUING  TliROCOH  AN  lOSBEBO. 


246  ARCTIC  EXl'ERIENCES. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Belated  Joe. — Wrong  Calculations. — Drift  past  Disco. — Bcaiitj-  of  the  Northern 
Constellations. — Hans  unreliable. — "Where  Kum  and  Tobacco  grow." — Forty 
below  Zero. — An  impolite  Visitor. — One  hundred  and  third  Day  on  the  Ice. — I'er- 
severance  of  the  Natives  in  hunting. — Hans  loses  a  good  Dog. — Beautiful  Aurora. 
— The  Mercury  freezes. — Too  cold  for  the  Natives  to  hunt. — A  little  Blubber  left. 
— Trust  in  Providence. — Effects  of  Kefniction. — Believing  Parties  on  the  Ice. — 
Our  Lunch,  Seal-skin  with  the  Hair  on. — A  natural  Death. — One  hundred  and 
seven  Days  without  seeing  prini,?d  Words. 

"Joe  shot  two  seals  to^-day,  about  five  miles  from  the  hut, 
where  he  found  a  hole  of  water,  but  was  only  able  to  land  one ; 
the  young  ice  carried  the  other  away.  Encouraged,  I  presume, 
by  the  appearance  of  the  sun,  he  staid  out  later  than  usual,  and 
it  was  very  dark — perhaps  seemed  all  the  darker  from  contrast 
with  our  two  hours  of  sunlight.  I  had  a  light  of  burning  blub- 
ber set  outside  for  him  to  guide  him  to  the  hut;  for  it  is  very 
easy  to  lose  one's  self  on  the  pack-ice,  Hans  has  already  done 
so  once,  and  it  was  considerable  trouble  to  find  him. 

*' Joe  has  got  in  all  right,  and  I  have  had  a  feast  of  seal-skin — 
hair  and  all;  also  a  piece  of  'lights,'  and  my  share  of  pemmican 
tea.     And  now  to  bed,  such  as  it  is, 

^'■Jan.  20.  The  natives  off  before  there  was  any  light,  sealing. 
It  is  now  9  A.M.,  and  I  can  see  very  well.  What  a  satisfaction  it 
is  to  know  that  we  shall  now  have  the  sun  every  day,  for  a  few 
hours  at  least,  unless  it  storms.  To-day  it  is  fair,  with  a  light 
north  wind. 

''11  A.M.  The  sun  is  here,  and  right  welcome.  Last  year,  on 
board  the  Polaris,  I  was  the  first  to  see  and  greet  him  after  his 
long  absence.  This  year  I  was  also  the  first  to  salute  him  on  his 
return.  I  was  outside,  banking  up  our  snow-hut,  and  was  alone ; 
the  men  had  not  turned  out  yet,  not  knowing  of  the  pleasure  in 
store  for  them.  I  did  not  expect  to  see  sunlight  for  four  or  five 
days,  and  was,  therefore,  almost  as  much  surprised  as  delighted. 
We  must  have  drifted  rapidly  during  the  last  two  north-west  gales. 

"  Many  people  complain  at  home  if  they  have  but  one  week 


BEAUTY  OF  NOKTHERN  CONSTELLATIONS.  247 

of  dull,  sunless,  or  rainy  weather;  how  do  they  imagine  they 
would  like  to  spend  three  months  without  a  sight  of  the  sun,  and 
then  only  see  him  for  an  hour  or  two  in  tlie  day  for  nearly  as 
long  a  time  preceding  his  disappearance  and  following  his  return. 

"  I  thought  yesterday  I  could  see  the  west  coast,  but  am  not 
quite  sure.  Mr.  Meyers,  who  is  the  fountain  of  all  knowledge 
for  his  German  brethren,  places  us  within  a  few  miles  of  the  land, 
and  that  on  the  east  coast.  Ilis  inexperience  in  these  waters,  and 
the  inexactness  of  the  instruments,  or  his  handling  of  them,  has 
made  great  trouble  in  misleac'ng  the  men,  and  inspiring  them 
with  a  confidence  of  what  they  can  do,  which  has  no  basis  in  fact 
When  Meyers  says  '  we  are  within  a  few  miles  of  the  east  coast,' 
of  course  they  believe  him;  and  some  of  them  think  that  if  they 
should  start  now  they  could  get  to  the  coast  of  Greenland  in  two 
days.  They  little  know  the  labor  before  them  ;  they  would  get 
to  their  deaths — that's  where  they'd  get. 

"  I  expect  we  shall  drift  by,  if  we  are  not  already  passed.  Dis- 
co ;  but  if  the  weather  permits,  I  hope  we  may  be  able  to  make 
Holsteinborg  in  the  boat  some  time  in  March,  if  they  will  have 
patience  till  then.  It  is  not  safe  to  start  either  this  month  or 
next — not  with  these  men.  They  have  been  housed  all  winter, 
and  when  in  their  hut  are  valiant  and  brave,  and  talk  of  the 
great  things  they  will  do  ;  but  let  them  get  out  in  the  cold  for  a 
short  time  and  the  pluck  is  all  gone.  This  is  the  explanation, 
no  doubt,  of  why  they  have  not  as  yet  attempted  to  carry  out 
the  plan  they  have  so  often  discussed. 

"  Jan.  21.  Clear  and  cold.  I  stopped  outside  as  long  as  I  could 
stand  it  to-night,  admiring  the  beauty  of  the  stars.  The  northern 
constellations  seem  to  me  more  brilliant  here  than  I  have  ever 
noticed  them  at  home.  Ursus  Major  and  Minor — if  I  remember 
right,  these  regions  are  named  for  the  Northern  Bear — apicrog, 
Orion,  Andromeda,  Cassiopeia,  the  Pleiades,  and  Jupiter,  so 
bright — part  of  Draco  too.  What  a  splendid  night  it  would  be 
for  telescopic  observations!  The  air  is  so  clear  and  pure,  there 
is  neither  cloud  nor  fog,  nor  any  visible  exhalations  from  this  icy 
land,  or  frozen  sea,  to  mar  the  crystal  clearness  of  the  atmos- 
phere ;  but  the  cold  pinches,  and  I  had  to  leave  the  stellar  beau- 
ties above  me,  and  crawl  into  my  dirty  burrow  and  horrid  ox- 
skins,  to  keep  from  freezing.  The  glass  to-day  has  showed  from 
35°  to  -38°. 


248  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

"  The  Esquimaux  saw  seals  yesterday,  but  could  not  shoot 
them,  or  get  at  them,  on  account  of  tlic  young  ice.  Tliey  saw 
also  a  great  many  dovekies,  but  they  had  no  shot  with  them  to 
kill  small  birds.  The  dovekies  are  a  good  sign  ;  with  proper 
shot,  we  may  soon  be  able  to  diversify  our  fare  with  these  birds. 
I  have  seen  no  land  to-day  either  east  or  west,  so  the  prospect 
of  an  early  release  looks  doubtful.  If  all  would  be  content  with 
the  regular  allowance,  our  pemmican  and  bread  would  still  last 
two  months.     Then  we  must  shoot  game  or  starve. 

''^Jan.  22.  Yesterday  the  sun  appeared  at  the  horizon  at  10.45 
A.M.  Joe  saw  two  bears,  and  could  have  shot  them  if  it  had  not 
been  for  Hans.  This  Ilans  acts  like  a  fool  sometimes.  He  is  the 
same  Hans  who  deserted  Dr.  Kane,  and  the  same  who  was  the 
cause  of  Dr.  Hayes  losing  two  good  men  on  his  expedition.  He 
played  the  'pious  Moravian'  on  the  good-hearted  Kane,  and 
Hayes  could  not  bring  the  conviction  home  to  him  of  what  he 
suspected;  but  I  never  could  read  the  account  of  the  death  of 
Sontag,  and  the  profit  to  his  own  family  which  Hans  made  out 
of  it,  without  feeling  a  little  shaky  about  him.  But  he  has  work- 
ed well  for  us,  and  is  now  older,  and  ballasted  with  a  wife  and 
four  children,  which  may  add  to  his  reliability. 

"  Meyers  now  states  to  his  small  constituency  that  they  are 
only  thirty-eight  miles  from  Disco;  so  they  renew  the  project  of 
starting  eastward  as  soon  as  the  cold  moderates  a  little,  which 
they  expect  it  will  do  when  the  sun  is  ten  or  fifteen  days  high. 
They  have  no  notion  of  passing  Disco,  where  they  say  '  rum  and 
tobacco  grows.'  No  other  place  will  suit  them.  There  they  ex- 
pect to  take  what  they  please  out  of  the  stores  left  by  the  Con- 
gress for  this  expedition.  They  say  'it  is  all  paid  for,'  and  as 
much  theirs  as  any  body's. 

"  One  or  two  gales  from  the  north  or  north-west,  and  we  shall 
certainly  be  drifted  past  Disco ;  for  I  can  see  no  land  on  either 
side,  and  therefore  judge  we  continue  in,  the  middle  of  the  strait, 
and  not  far  from  70°  N. 

"The  Esquimaux  took  the  two  dogs  with  them  to-day,  so  that 
if  they  should  have  the  luck  to  see  another  bear  they  can  make 
sure  of  him.  They  started  at  daylight.  It  is  very  cold,  —40° 
hehw  zero  at  10.15  a.m.  The  sun  makes  his  appearance  a  little 
earlier  every  day,  and  continues  in  sight  a  little  later.  Joe  is 
not  very  well.     I  hope  he  will  not  get  down  sick,  for  we  depend 


PERSEVERANCE  IN  HUNTING. 


2-19 


greatly  upon  him.     Though  such  a  little  fellow,  he  is  *a  mighty 
hunter'  in  hi.s  way. 

'•'■Jan.  23.  Clear;  light  west  wind.  No  success  yesterday  with 
the  huntens,  but  their  motto  is  nil  desperandum.  Off  again  at 
daylight  this  morning;  but,  from  the  still  cold,  no  wind  to  ruffle 


UANS,  WIKB,  ACGU8T1NA,   AND  TOBIAS. 


the  surface,  I  fear  they  will  find  no  water.  It  is  now,.  9  a.m., 
quite  light  to  the  east  and  south-east;  but  I  see  no  land  any- 
where, though  the  man  of  tvisdoni  locates  us  within  a  few  miles 
of  Disco.  This  same  party  caused  Hall  considerable  trouble  in 
his  time  on  board  the  ship,  and  he  seems  bound  to  do  the  same 
for  me.     Hall  put  him  down,  for  he  had  the  power;  but  after 


250  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

that  unfortunate  death  the  foreign  element  had  the  real  control, 
though  the  nominal  was  in  other  hands.  I  do  not  know  that  he 
wishes  to  make  me  trouble,  but  his  illusions  have  that  effect  on 
the  men. 

"  The  provisions  are  going  fast.  I  know  they  are  stolen,  but 
can  not  stop  it  without  shedding  blood ;  r^nd  I  shall  avoid  that, 
unless  to  prevent  a  crime  that  I  suspect  has  been  more  than  once 
contemplated.  I  hope  to  linger  on  until  March,  when  open  wa- 
ter and  game  may  be  looked  for  with  greater  prospect  of  success. 

"4  P.M.  Joe  has  just  returned,  bringing  a  small  seal.  He  had 
found  no  water;  but  after  watching  at  a  'blow-hole'  for  a  long 
time,  this  fellow  came  and  put  up  his  snout  to  breathe,  and  Joe 
was  fortunate  enough  to  spear  him.  He  is  now  divided  up,  and 
I  have  eaten  a  little  of  the  raw  meat.  A  seal  of  this  size,  divided 
into  eighteen  parts,  gives  only  a  small  piece  to  each ;  but,  small  as 
it  is,  we  are  very  glad  to  get  it.  This  is  fine  weather,  though  so 
cold;  thermometer  —34°.  Yet  one  could  enjoy  a  walk  in  such 
an  atmosphere  if  well  fed  and  clothed. 

"  I  was  thinking  the  other  evening  how  strange  it  would  sound 
to  hear  a  good  hearty  laugh ;  but  I  think  there  never  was  a  par- 
ty so  destitute  of  every  element  of  merriment  as  this.  I  can  not 
remember  ever  having  seen  even  a  smile  on  the  countenance  of 
any  one  on  this  floe,  except  when  Herron  came  out  of  his  hut 
and  saw  the  sun  shining  for  the  first  time.  Well  here  is  little 
enough  to  be  merry  over;  but  yet,  if  there  had  Vren  a  more  con- 
gruous company  and  less  disaffection,  it  need  haidly  have  been 
quite  so  dismal. 

"I  have  just  breakfasted  on  a  small  piece  of  seal-meat,  one 
biscuit,  and  a  small  pot  of  seal's-blood  soup.  No  one  can  tell,  ex- 
cept by  experience,  how  much  heat  this  seal's  blood  furnishes  to 
the  body.  I  am  not  surprised  at  the  well-fed  Esquimaux  endur- 
ing cold  so  well. 

"I  am  now  compelled  to  record  an  event  that  occurred  last 
evening.  Disgraceful  though  it  be,  it  is  part  of  this  story,  and 
must  go  in.  It  will  also  show  the  animus  of  some  of  the  men, 
and  is  a  specimen  of  what  I  have  had  to  endure  from  them. 
Robert — I  forget  his  other  name — entirely  unprovoked,  entered 
my  hut,  and  commenced  to  abuse  me  in  the  most  disgusting 
language,  even  threatening  personal  violence;  but  perceiving, 
though  I  said  but  a  few  words,  that  I  was  entirely  willing  to  af- 


CAPTURE  OF  A  SEAL.  251 

ford  him  every  facility  for  trying  his  skill  in  that  line  of  busi- 
ness, he  did  not  attempt  to  put  his  threat  in  execution;  and  find- 
ing he  could  not  provoke  me  to  assault  him,  he  shortly  subsided 
and  left.  I  suppose  the  foolish  fellow  had  probably  been  boast- 
ing of  what  he  could  do,  and  the  others  had  set  him  on  by  '  dar- 
ing him'  to  do  it.  However,  he  walked  off  feeling  a  good  deal 
smaller,  I  think,  than  when  he  came  in.  He  came  back  soon  af- 
ter and  offered  an  apology — such  an  apology  as  a  muii  of  his 
character  can  offer.  If  he  had  stood  alone,  the  incident  would 
have  had  less  significance;  but  it  was  evident  that  he  had  his 
backers.  Meyers,  of  the  Scientific  Corps,  is  their  chief  counselor ; 
but  whether  he  was  knowing  to  this,  or  had  any  hand  in  it,  I 
can  not  say,     I  hope  not,  for  his  own  credit's  sake. 

"  I  know  not  how  this  business  will  end ;  but,  unless  there  is 
some  change,  I  fear  iu  a  disastrous  manner.  They  are  like  so 
many  willful  children — all  wanting  to  do  as  they  please,  and  none 
of  them  knowing  what  to  do.  If  four,  or  perhaps  five,  of  these 
men  were  out  of  the  road,  the  others,  I  think,  would  do  well 
enough. 

"Since  writing  the  above,  the  weather  has  come  on  thick; 
light  southerly  wind,  with  snow,  and  temperature  moderating. 

"4  P.M.  The  Esquimaux  have  returned  from  their  day's  hunt, 
bringing  a  fine  seal.  He  is  considerably  larger  than  the  one 
caught  yesterday,  and  will  furnish  us  a  fine  meal;  and,  with  full 
stomachs,  I  hope  the  men  will  find  themselves  in  a  better  frame 
of  mind. 

"I  have  just  dined  on  a  small  piece  of  liver — raw,  of  course, 
about  one  yard  of  seal's  entrails,  and  my  pemmican  tea,  with  a 
little  blood  and  blubber  for  dessert.  And  now  I  shall  smoke  my 
pipe — for  I  have  that  comfort  yet — and  then  there  is  nothing  for 
it  but  to  kick  my  heels  together  till  I  get  a  little  warmth  in  my 
feet,  and  then  to  bed, 

"Had  I  more  paper  I  might  write  more ;  but  I  have  to  be  very 
saving,  and  just  jot  down  the  events  of  the  day  and  my  thoughts 
in  a  sort  of  short-hand  of  my  own,  to  be  written  out,  possibly,  for 
my  family  hereafter,  if  I  ever  get  where  there  are  stationers  and 
pen  and  ink.  All  the  writing  I  do  here  is  with  a  lead-pencil, 
which  I  fortunately  had  in  my  pocket.  Whether  I  shall  be  able 
even  to  read  it  myself,  if  I  ever  get  ashore,  is  somewhat  doubtful. 

'■^Jan.  25.  I  should  like  very  much  to  accompany  the  natives 


252  AliCTIC  EXrEKIENCES. 

in  their  hunting  excursions,  but  T  can  not,  for  the  want  of  cloth- 
ing. Like  Miss  Flora  M'Flimsy,  '  I  have  nothing  to  wear,'  I 
may  say  that  1  am  almost  without  clothing  —  at  least,  anyway 
suitable  to  be  exposed  all  day  to  a  temperature  of  30°  or  40°  be- 
low zero.  Joe  and  Hans  have  deer  and  dog  skin  clothing,  and 
even  they  complain  of  the  cold;  and  they  have  a  change  too, 
which  I  have  not.  They  can  take  theirs  off  and  dry  them  over  the 
lamp ;  but  I  have  not  been  able  to  change  mine  for  nearly  three 
months.  It  sickens  me  to  think  of  it,  saturated  as  it  is  with  all 
the  vile  odors  of  this  hut.  I  have  to  sleep  in  them  as  well ; 
for  I  should  freeze  to  these  wretched  skins  under  which  I  sleep 
if  I  did  not. 

"To-day  is  our  one  hundred  and  third  day  on  the  ice — the 
most  wretched  of  my  life.  The  monotony  is  fearfully  weari- 
some ;  if  I  could  get  out  and  exercise,  it  would  help  to  relieve 
the  tedium.  But,  while  this  severe  cold  lasts,  it  is  not  to  be 
thought  of  There  has  been  more  grumbling  to-day,  but  I  can 
get  no  clear  idea  of  the  cause.  Idleness  is  probably  the  root  of 
much  foolish  talk  that  goes  on;  and  there  is  neither  authority, 
nor  any  object  or  motive,  to  induce  them  to  do  any  thing.  But 
if  I  was  clothed  as  well  as  they  are,  I  would  at  least  go  out  and 
assist  the  two  natives  in  bringing  home  the  game,  if  I  could  not 
capture  any — which  any  one  could  do,  except  probably  spearing 
the  seal,  which  requires  long  practice  and  great  skill. 

"The  two  Esquimaux  have  hunted  nobly  all  the  winter, 
through  the  darkness,  cold,  and  storm.  They  saw  the  necessity 
of  it  as  well  as  I.  They  knew  the  men  could  not  live  without 
fresh  meat,  or  without  fire  to  warm  their  food  and  melt  ice  for 
water  to  drink ;  so  they  have  worked  hard.  Joe  has  been  of 
great  service — Hans  not.  He  is  no  great  hunter,  and,  in  fact,  is 
a  little  foolish ;  but  he  has  traveled  early  and  late,  and  has  done 
what  his  natural  abilities  permitted.  When  they  catch  a  seal,  I 
now  take  it  in  Joe's  hut  and  have  it  fairly  divided.  Atone  time 
the  men  saw  fit  to  lug  them  off  into  their  hut,  and  undertook  to 
cut  them  up.  But  skinning  a  frozen  seal  is  not  pleasant  work, 
and  they  soon  got  tired  of  it,  and  are  now  willing  to  have  it  done 
for  them.  The  two  last  seals  Joe  brought  into  his  hut,  where  I 
live  also.  But  I  took  the  precaution  to  ask  two  of  the  men  to 
come  in  and  see  that  it  was  equally  divided,  but  they  would  not 
come.     So  I  told  the  natives  to  give  them  half  of  the  meat,  half 


LOSS  OF  A  BEAU-DOG.  253 

of  tlio  blubber,  and  half  of  the  skin,  and  the  other  half  was  di- 
vided between  Ilans's  family  and  ours. 

"Now  it  has  sometimes  haj)pened  that  when  the  Esquimaux 
have  been  tramj)ing  about  for  hours  on  the  hunt  for  seals,  and  at 
last  get  one,  they  are  by  that  time  very  hungry ;  and  as,  when  they 
bring  it  in  to  the  party,  they  know  they  will  get  no  more  than 
those  who  have  been  at  home  all  day,  they  sometimes  open  the 
seal,  and  cat  the  entrails,  kidneys,  and  heart,  and  perhaps  a  piece 
of  the  liver;  and  who  could  blame  them?  They  must  do  it  to 
keep  life  ia  them.  They  could  not  endure  to  hunt  every  day 
without  something  more,  occasionally,  than  our  rations.  Yet  the 
men  complain  of  this,  and  say  they  do  not  get  their  share  :  so  un- 
reasonable and  unreasoning  are  they,  or  so  selfish.  When  it  is 
caught  and  skinned  for  them,  they  ought  to  be  wiliirg  to  give 
the  hunters  a  generous  portion, 

"It  is  a  beautiful  day — no  wind ;  and,  on  going  out,  I  thought  it 
much  warmer  than  it  really  was.  The  cold  soon  began  to  pene- 
trate. The  glass  tells  40°  below  zero.  The  natives  returned 
about  six  o'clock.  They  have  been  a  long  distance  to-day,  and 
discovered  signs  of  water  to  the  eastward,  and  tried  to  reach  it ; 
but  it  was  too  far  off,  and  therefore  failed.  They  had  no  success 
in  getting  any  game. 

"  Jan.  26.  Fair ;  light  north-west  wind,  and  very  cold.  Joe  and 
Hans  have  started  off  early,  to  try  and  reach  the  water  they  saw 
to  the  eastward  yesterday,  if  they  can  perceive  any  evidence  of 
its  being  there  to-day. 

"  1  fear  we  have  lost  our  best  bear-dog.  Hans,  the  simpleton — 
for  he  seems  little  better — had  the  dog  out  with  him  yesterday ; 
and  instead  of  keeping  his  harness  on,  to  have  control  over  his 
movements,  and  also  the  means  of  bringing  him  back,  when  quite 
a  long  distance  away,  took  the  harness  off  and  let  the  dog  go ; 
and  he  has  not  yet  found  his  way  back  to  us.  I  fear  he  is  lost. 
Joe  had  the  other  dog  with  him,  hoping  they  might  meet  a  bear. 
The  dogs  are  very  useful  in  bringing  tliem  to  bay,  giving  the 
huuter  time  to  make  aim  and  shoot.  It  is  now  near  noon,  and 
the  breeze  freshens.  The  thermometer  is  —42°,  the  coldest  day 
yet  we  have  had  on  the  floe. 

"  Last  night,  at  midnight,  there  was  a  brilliant  aurora.  No 
doubt  many  interesting  natural  phenomena  occur  without  our 
observing  them ;  for  we  are  too  wretched,  and  I  am  unable,  for 


254  ARCTIC  EXPKUIENCES. 

want  of  clotliing,  to  stay  out  long  at  a  time,  and  I  have  no  means 
of  taking  measurements  or  of  reeordin^' observations  wliich  would 
have  any  scientific  value.  If  I  had,  I  would  try  and  endure  the 
cold  sufficiently  long  to  make  them.  But  as  1  came  out  of  our 
hut  at  just  about  12,  low  meridian,  the  heavens  appeared  to  be  all 
on  fire;  from  the  south-west  to  the  north-east,  from  the  horizon 
to  the  zenith,  it  was  shooting  here  and  there,  like  flames  of  fire  in 
a  strong  wind.  The  light  was  at  one  time  almost  overpowering. 
I  wish  there  had  been  some  artist  present  capable  of  represent- 
ing it,  or  at  least  who  could  have  given  some  faint  idea  of  the 
scene,  for  which  words  are  totally  inadequate.  I  dare  say  we  miss 
many  such  sights,  and  also  others  of  meteors  and  shooting-stars ; 
but  if  this  life  should  last  much  longer  we  shall  forget  that  we 
have  brains,  and  remember  only  that  we  have  stomachs. 

"  3  P.M.  Joe  has  returned,  bringing  a  fine  large  seal.  We  al- 
ready have  our  pemmican  tea,  made  over  the  lamp  ;  so  we  thank- 
fully divide  the  seal,  which  is  such  a  welcome  addition  to  our 
meal,  and  eat  a  little  of  the  raw  meat,  and  a  few  inouthfuls  of 
blubber  with  it,  and  then  have  a  smoke.  But  that  luxurv  will 
not  last  long;  I  am  on  my  last  plug  of  tobacco  to-day.  The  mer- 
cury is  frozen,  so  we  know  not  how  cold  it  is. 

'■'■Jan.  27.  The  day-break  comes  to  us  now  at  about  8  a.m.  on 
a  clear  day ;  and,  that  all  the  daylight  may  be  used,  we  get  our 
breakfast  much  earlier  than  we  did.  It  makes  the  day  seem  verv 
long  to  us  who  have  nothing  useful  with  which  to  fill  up  our 
time,  as  there  are  very  long  intervals  between  our  meals.  We  do 
not  get  game  enough  to  allow  ourselves  three  meals  a  day.  Per- 
haps that  happy  time  may  come,  but  it  is  not  here  yet.  The  men 
breakfast  about  eleven.  They  do  not  go  out  much,  it  is  so  very 
cold.  The  moon  changes  to-day  or  did  last  night,  and  there  are 
now  fall  tides ;  so  I  hope  the  ice  will  open,  which  will  enhance 
the  probability  of  our  getting  a  supply  of  seal-meat.  I  had  my 
seal's-blood  soup,  a  bit  of  the  meat,  and  one-tenth  oi"  a  pound  of 
bread.     The  mercury  continues  frozen. 

"  1  P.M.  The  Esquimaux  have  returned,  the  severe  weather 
proving  too  much  for  them,  inured  to  it  from  childhood  though 
they  be.  If  they  could  have  enough  of  the  seal-meat  to  keep  up 
a  proper  circulation  of  the  blood,  quickening  its  course  through 
the  veins,  for  which  this  kind  of  food  is  remarkable,  they  would 
have  gone  on,  but  possibly  without  success,  as  the  water  is  of 


THE  "GERMAN  COUNT."  255 

course  all  frozen  over,  and  the  chance  of  spearing  a  seal  over  its 
breatliing-hole  seems  slight  indeed.  We  have,  I  arn  thankful  to 
say,  quite  a  little  store  of  blubber,  which  will  last  us,  I  hope, 
until  the  weather  moderates,  and  also  some  seal-meat  left.  And 
I  believe  God  is  watching  over  us,  unworthy  though  we  be,  and 
that  he  will  guide  us  into  safety,  and  where  there  is  abundance. 
Ilis  providence  has  evidently  been  over  us  so  far ;  for  v/hen  we 
have  been  reduced  to  the  greatest  extremity,  and  thought  we 
could  endure  no  longer,  then  he  has  sent  a  seal  to  give  us  fresh 
strength  and  hope.  So  I  will  trust  Ilim  for  the  future  who  has 
preserved  us  so  far  on  this  perilous  journey. 

"e/(Oi.  28.  Fair;  light  wind  from  the  south-west.  Joe  and  Hans 
off  again  this  morning  hunting  for  meat  to  feed  the  hungry. 
Very  cold  still ;  -40°. 

"  I  do  not  see  my  way  clear  yet.  Can  see  no  land  either  to  the 
east  or  west,  so  we  must  be  for  from  both  shores,  and  are  proba- 
bly near  the  middle  of  the  strait,  with  a  slight  set  to  the  west. 
We  can  not  be  near  the  east  coast,  that  is  certain,  for  they  have 
not  so  low  a  temperature  there  in  this  latitude.  They  catch 
whales  off  the  coast  there  in  February,  ordinarily  at  Holstein- 
borg,  and  sometimes  even  at  Disco.  Yet  the  '  German  Count,' 
as  the  men  begin  to  call  Mr.  Meyers  in  jest,  makes  his  country- 
men believe  that  we  are  near  to  the  east  shore. 

"  What  convinces  me  that  we  are  a  long  way  from  Disco,  which 
I  know  so  well,  is.  that  Disco  is  a  very  high  rocky  island,  which, 
if  we  were  near  it,  could  certainlv  be  seen.  I  have  been  there 
many  times,  and  know  all  the  coast  south  of  it  well.  Disco  can 
easily  be  seen  on  a  clear  day  eighty  miles  distant,  and  I  have  seen 
it  when  one  hundred  miles  off,  raised  by  refraction — not  an  un- 
common phenomenon  on  the  Greenland  coast. 

"  If  Meyers  had  been  left  on  board  the  Polaris,  these  foreigners 
would  probably  have  behaved  better,  for  then  they  would  not 
have  had  any  one  to  mislead  them  about  our  position.  His  in- 
fluence is  naturally  considerable  over  them,  because  they  think 
he  is  educated,  and  ought  to  know ;  and  being  also  their  country- 
man, they  probably  fancy  he  takes  more  interest  in  their  wel- 
fare; just  as  if  it  was  not  as  much  my  interest  to  get  to  dry  land 
as  theirs !  But  I  have  sailed  these  seas  too  often  to  be  much  de- 
ceived about  our  course. 

"  I  know  liOt  whether  I  can  keep  these  men  quiet  until  the 


256  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

temperature  rises.  Perhaps  it  may  moderate  in  March,  and  then 
they  may  yet  be  saved ;  but,  should  they  start  for  the  shore  in 
February,  tliey  are  lost.  The  sun  has  not  yet  much  influence. 
They  will  find  no  water  to  drink,  have  but  little  to  eat,  must 
sleep  unprotected  except  by  their  wet  ox-skins,  if  they  have  the 
strength  even  to  drag  them  along;  in  fact,  they  must  perish.  But 
if  they  can  be  induced  to  hold  on  until  the  season  is  further  ad- 
vanced, many  cracks  will  be  found  in  the  ice,  and  some  of  them 
may  lead  us  near  the  coast,  or  at  least  to  open  water ;  and  in  these 
cracks  we  shall  find  plenty  of  seals,  and  on  them  we  can  live  till 
it  is  a  suitable  time  to  attempt  reaching  the  land.  At  our  pres- 
ent rate  of  drift,  we  may  even  be  picked  up  by  some  whaler. 

"  I  have  relieved  parties  on  the  ice.  They  had  not  drifted  so 
long,  to  be  sure,  nor  come  so  far,  nor  so  many  of  them;  they  were 
all  men,  too — not  a  boat-load  of  women  and  children — but  the}^ 
were  far  away  from  their  ships,  hungry  and  destitute.  There 
were  some  runaways  from  the  Ansel  Gihhs,  and  also  another  party 
— I  forget  the  circumstances  now — from  the  brig  Alert.  I  have 
also  relieved  Captain  Ilall  two  or  three  times  on  his  former  voy- 
ages ;  so  I  hope  Providence  may  send  us  a  rescue  before  it  is  too 
late. 

"It  is  new,  past  3  p.m.,  quite  light.  The  mercury  is  frozen 
again.  It  is  extremely  cold.  Joe  and  Hans  have  not  returned 
yet.  The  men  are  cooking,  or,  rather,  trying  to  warm,  some  seal- 
shin,  which  serves  us  all  to-day  for  luncli.  We  eat  it  hair  on,  as 
there  is  not  sufBciont  heat  to  scald  it  off.  Boiling  water  will  take 
it  ofl',  but  we  can't  get  that.  It  is  very  tougli.  My  jaws  and 
head  too  ache  with  the  exertion  made  to  masticate  it.  The  dogs 
have  the  advantage  of  us  there ;  they  will  bolt  down  long  strips 
of  it.  if  tliey  are  so  well  off  as  to  get  it,  without  a{)parently  any 
chewing  at  all.  Thev  will  eat  any  thing  but  stone  or  metal,  and 
make  very  sisort  work  of  their  harness,  or  any  thing  of  tiiat  kind, 
whi<'h  is  left  in  their  way. 

"<J  P.M.  The  nativi's  have  returned;  liav<>  had  no  Hueeetw,  and 
we  have  now  l()St  «»ur  only  dog.  .Kk"  had  him  *iih  him  t<i-day. 
On  returning,  the  fKK)r  animal  was  takt^n  «ick  and  difd.  I  fetl 
biin  hi>*t  night  on  what  I  wum  eating  mvjwll', ^I'ulhkin  and  pn-tty 
trell-fH«'ked  iKnicH;  it  may  \Hi  that  the  Ixxieti  cautwtd  hit4  dcufh.  tjc 
-^i<*v  nwallow  iHiek  Im^h*  yiufv'H,  or  it  may  Imj  iKiiuetbuig  hu«  ha|j- 
ftetml  to  Itiin  that  I  do  nut  know  of.     Well,  it  in  the  fimt  and 


"LITTLE  JOE."'  257 

only  natural  death  that  has  occurred,  and  that,  surely,  is  wonder- 
ful :  but  it  is  astonishinc'  what  men  can  endure.  It  must  be  that 
the  hoiye  keeps  us  alive,  and  the  poor  beasts  have  not  that  to  sus- 
tain them.  They  feel  all  their  present  misery,  and  can  not  an- 
ticipate relief.  It  will  be  a  very  difficult  matter  to  capture  a 
bear  now,  without  a  single  dog. 

'■''Jan.  29.  Foggy,  with  light  east  wind.  The  Esquimaux  off, 
as  usual,  on  the  hunt.  They  do  not  stop  for  fog,  cold,  or  wind. 
They  understand  the  situation  they  are  in,  and  consequently 
they  are  the  only  ones  here  I  can  in  any  measure  rely  on.  Were 
it  not  for  'little  Joe,'  Esquimau  though  he  be,  many,  if  not  all, 
of  this  party  must  have  perished  before  now.  He  has  built  our 
snow-hut?,  and  hunted  constantly  for  us;  and  the  seals  he  has 
captured  have  furnished  us  not  onl}'  with  the  fresh  meat  so  es- 
sential to  our  position,  but  without  the  oil  from  the  blubber  we 
could  neither  have  warmed  our  food  nor  had  any  means  of  melt- 
ing ice  for  drink.  We  survive  through  God's  mercy  and  Joe's 
ability  as  a  hunter. 

"  We  are  all  11  but  one — Ilans's  child,  Tobias.  I  can  doctor 
a  sailor,  but  I  don't  understand  what  is  the  matter  with  this  poor 
little  fellow.  His  stomach  is  disordered  and  very  much  swollen; 
he  has  been  sick  now  for  some  time.  He  can  not  eat  the  pemmi- 
can ;  so  he  has  to  live  on  dry  bread,  as  we  have  nothing  else  to 
give  him.  The  wonder  is  not  that  one  is  sick,  but  that  any  are 
well. 

"  The  mercury  is  still  frozen.  The  men  are  seldom  outside  of 
their  hut  now.  From  the  nature  of  tlii^  food  we  live  on,  and  the 
small  quantity  of  it,  tliere  is  no  imperative  necessity  whieh  calls 
them  outi^ide  —  perhaps*  not  m<»re  than  oiice  in  fourteen  days. 
Oh,  it  iH  deprcHHin;;  in  the  extreme  to  sit  crouched  up  all  day, 
Ife'jth  nothing  to  do  but  try  and  kee[>  from  freezin>.j!  Sitting  long 
at  a  lime  in  a  chair  is  irkHomc  enou};h,  l)Ut  it  is  fur  more  vvcari- 
iwnne  whi-ti  th«'n*  in  no  proper  \n\wv  lu  Kit.  No  lxK>kH  either,  no 
J0ibl<%  no  I'ravcr  b<Mik,  no  magnyiincM  or  nrwepaperM  not  i-ven  a 
fittrj^rx  IJVW.///  -wu»  unvinl  by  atiy  one,  though  there  are  almost 
aiwayN  mon*  or  Inw  of  them'  to  Ik*  found  in  a  lihip'ii  company 
m\urt'  thin-  are  any  r«*iiiliiig  hhmi.  Ni'Wi«[)a|H'rn  I  have  leariuMl  na 
do  without  to  {i  grent  I'Xtitit,  having  Iwfn  at  wa  no  mu<'h  of  my 
life,  where  it  i«  im}Hii«i{!»k*  lu  gel  theiii ;  but  mmte  iKirt  of  n mlinff 
i  al w!is »  liM'l  U'Torf.     h  is  tmu:  «m  ffnili.,1  ,t,ui  *<  »>i«  Uu^  aimx  i 

IT 


258  ARCTIC  EXPEKIEXCES. 

have  seen  printed  ivords  f  What  a  treat  a  bundle  of  old  papers 
would  be!  All  the  world  over,  I  suppose  some  people  are  wast- 
ing and  destroying  wiiat  would  make  others  feel  rich  indeed. 

"As  it  is,  the  thought  of  something  good  to  eat  is  apt  to  oc- 
cupy the  mind  to  an  extent  one  would  be  ashamed  of  on  ship- 
board or  ashore.  We  even  dream  of  it  in  our  sleep ;  and  no 
matter  what  I  begin  to  think  about,  before  long  I  find,  quite  in- 
voluntarily, as  it  were,  my  mind  has  reverted  to  the  old  subject. 
Some  of  the  ancients,  I  believe,  located  the  soul  in  the  stomach. 
I  think  they  must  have  had  some  such  experience  as  ours  to 
give  them  the  idea.  I  miss  my  cofifee  and  soft  bread-and-butter 
most.  Give  me  domestic  bread-and-butter  and  coffee,  and  I 
should  feel  content  until  we  could  better  our  condition. 

"Joe  has  returned  (at  1  P.M.);  the  weather  too  thick  and  cold 
for  him  to  accomplish  any  thing.  lie  was,  of  course,  very  hun- 
gry;  so  was  I.  We  had  two  or  three  yards  of  frozen  seal's  en- 
trails left  from  the  last  seal,  and  on  that  we  lunched,  eating  a  lit- 
tle blubber  with  it.  Poor  Captain  Hall  used  to  say  he  really 
liked  blubber.  I  like  it  a  good  deal  better  than  nothing!  To 
men  as  hungry  as  we,  almost  any  thing  is  sweet ;  this  that  we 
ate  was  frozen  as  hard  as  the  ice  we  are  on. 

^'J(UL  30.  The  change  of  the  moon  has  not  benefited  us.  There 
is  no  opening  in  the  ice;  the  weather  is  too  calm  and  cold,  —34°. 
Could  we  get  a  heavy  southeily  gale,  it  wo  Id  rapidly  break  up 
the  ice ;  but  we  have  not  had  a  strong  ^  ■.  Tom  the  south  all 
winter. 


jkMtitUi  mmnium. 


A  SOLEMN  ENTRY.  259 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A  solemn  Entry  made  in  tlie  Joninal,  in  View  of  Death. — More  Security  on  the  Ice- 
floe than  on  board  the  Po/uris. — Eating  the  Otf'al  of  better  JJays. — Tobias  very 
low. — Anticipations  of  a  Break-uj). — Hope. — Joe,  Hannah,  and  little  I'uney. — "I 
am  so  hungry." — An  interior  View  of  Hans's  Hut ;  his  Family. — Talk  about  reach- 
ing the  Land. — Inexperience  of  the  Men  misleads  their  Judgment. 

"It  is  as  well  to  look  the  future  fairly  in  the  face,  and  none  of 
us  can  tell  who  will  survive  to  see  this  business  out.  Death  is 
liable  to  come  to  all  men;  and  especially  may  one  in  my  situa- 
tion prepare  himself  for  it  at  any  moment;  and  therefore,  consid- 
ering the  possibility,  I  wish  here  to  set  down  a  few  facts,  as  well 
as  my  own  opinion,  which,  whether  I  live  or  die,  I  sincerely  hope 
will  come  to  light. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

"  I  make  the  above  statement  not  knowing  whether  I  shall  get 
through  this  affair  with  life.  I  have  told  Joe  and  Hannah,  should 
any  thing  happen  to  me,  to  save  these  books"  [this,  with  other 
notes,  was  written  on  small  pocket  blank -books. — Ed.]  "and 
carry  them  home.  It  is  very  badly  written  with  pencil,  in  a 
dark  hut,  and  with  very  cold  fingers ;  but,  so  help  me  God,  it  is 
all  true. 

"My  present  life  is  perilous  enough;  but  I  can  truly  say  that 
r  have  felt  more  secure  slce])iiig  on  this  floe,  notwithstanding  the 
disaffection  of  some  of  the  men,  than  I  did  the  last  eleven  months 
on  board  the  Puhiris. 

^^Jnu.  31.  Fair;  light  east  wind;  the  natives  ofl'  hunting  very 
»\irly.  They  found  water  yesterday,  but  got  no  seals.  The 
weatiier  is  mucli  warmer — only  22"  below  zero  this  morning. 
We  are  evi<lently  drifting  westwtird.  1  hope  to  .see  the  land 
soon;  but  both  ejwt  and  west  there  is  a  heavy  mist,  which  the 
HU!i  has  not  power  eiioii^di  to  dispt-rse. 

''■  Afli I'li'xin.  It  hus  now  come  on  thick;  wind  north-eant.  I 
have  just  lunched  on  scal-Hkin.  Tliin  time  we  have  been  e.'iaijlcd 
10  cook  it,  and  \  di»«ctiver  that  it  in  all  the  bettir --qtiitc  tender. 
\V.'  tut  only  ate  th«;  «kin,  but  drank  the  greasy  water  it  waw 


260  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES, 

boiled  in.     The  time  occupied  in  heating  five  quarts  of  water 
over  the  lamp  is  from  two  to  three  hours. 

"Ilaniiuii  is  now  pounding  the  bread,  preparing  our  pemmican 
tea.  We  pound  the  bread  fine,  then  take  brackish  ice,  or  salt- 
water ice,  and  melt  it  in  a  tin  pemmican  can  over  the  lamp; 
then  put  in  the  pounded  bread  and  pemmican,  and,  when  all  is 
warm,  call  it  'tea,'  and  drink  it.  It  reminds  me  very  much  of 
greasy  dish-water;  but  in  this  climate  a  man  can  eat  many  things 
which  in  a  warmer  latitude  the  stomach  would  revolt  at.  The 
offal  of  better  days  is  not  despised  by  us  now.  As  to  dirt,  we 
are  permeated  with  it;  and  the  less  I  think  about  it  the  better  I 
feel,  for  L  know  not  how  it  is  to  be  remedied.  We  can  scarcely 
get  water  enough  melted  to  serve  for  drink. 

"The  temperature  this  evening  is  3-1°  below  zero — 6  P.M. 
The  Esquimaux  have  returned  again  without  game.  They  have 
been  a  lon<j;  distance  to  the  eai;tward  in  the  direction  where  thev 
discovered  water  yesterday,  but  to-day  it  was  all  frozen  over. 
They  started  at  seven  this  morning,  and  have  but  just  returned; 
and  they  do  all  this  traveling  on  a  few  ounces  of  food  daily.  It 
is  indeed  a  hard  struggle  for  life,  and  the  result  doubtful. 

''  We  have  just  had  our  pemmican  tea,  and  have  each  taken  a 
few  scraps  of  refuse  from  the  dirty  lamp.  It  all  helps  to  fill  up, 
and  keep  the  blood  circulating.  Poor  little  Tobias  is  very  low — 
nothing  but  a  skeleton  ;  he  can  eat  seal-meat,  but  steadily  rejects 
pemmican.     I  wish  I  knew  what  to  do  for  him. 

^^ Feb.  1.  It  is  blowing  very  heavy  from  the  north-west;  too 
much  wind  for  any  hunting  to-day.  We  keep  closely  housed  in 
our  dens.  Should  an  accident  hnppen  to  our  fioe  serioi;s  enough 
to  turn  us  out  of  our  burrows  leaving  us  shelterless  in  such  a 
.>»tortn  of  wind,  with  our  blood  no  tliin,  we  should  none  of  us  live 
long. 

"We  are  poorly  off  indeed  to-day;  not  even  a  bit  of  skin  or 
entrails  to  appease  the  biting  hunger.  For  the  last  six  or  eight 
days  we  have  had  sonicffdnfj  to  lunch  on — either  skin  or  frozen 
entrails;  to-day  we  have  neither;  and  now  we  realize  the  value 
of  those  unsavory  morsfls.  and  'eel  i!ie  want  of  them  more  and 
rnon*  i-verv  hour.  S>  do  the  most  unappreciate<I  '  hhsHingK 
brighti'ti  iw  tht-y  take  tlu.'ir  fliji;lit.' 

"Tliis  powerful  wind  wilt  uundy  cnrry  us  pn^t  DtHCfi.  Wt- 
ought  ti>  be  ruariy  went  of  tin-  mluiid  now.     The  (j<Tnimi.'4  appear 


ANTICIPATIONS  OF  A  BREAK-UP.  261 

very  sad  at  the  thought  that  their  '  promised  land '  is  gone  from 
them  forever.  They  begin  to  think  now  that  any  land  where 
they  can  get  something  to  eat  is  good  enough.  Wiio  knows? 
They  may  come  to  their  senses  yet  before  we  get  througii. 
Wlien  men  refuse  to  take  advice,  they  must  see  their  error  firsl 
before  they  can  repent  of  it. 

"The  Esquimaux  inform  me  that  the  cracks  in  the  ice  wlierc 
they  have  been  sealing  are  not  limited  to  the  'young  ice,'  but 
cut  clear  through  the  old — which  is  ah  intimation  that  our  floe 
may  now  split  up  at  any  time  if  the  wind  continues.  As  it  is, 
heavy  pieces  from  the  edge  of  the  floe  have  gone;  and  the  huge 
icebergs  which  have  accompanied  us  on  our  long  journey  are  mov- 
ing rapidly  before  the  wind.  Every  thing  feels  its  power,  but  as 
yet  we  have  not  been  disturbed,  although  surrounded  by  bergs 
heavy  enough,  if  propelled  upon  our  encampment,  to  crush  us  to 
atoms.  We  have  thus  far  floated  safely,  yet  it  causes  reflection : 
the  ice,  we  know,  must  break  up  sometime;  and  whether  we  shall 
survive  the  catastrophe  we  can  not  tell.  We  are  at  the  mercy 
of  the  elements,  and  can  do  very  little  for  our  own  protection. 

"Even  now  the  storm  rages  without,  while  tierce  hunger  rages 
within;  and  though  sometimes  overcome  with  sad  thoughts,  as  1 
think  of  family,  children,  and  friends  at  home,  I  am  not  without 
hope.  God,  in  creating  man,  gave  him  hope.  What  a  blessing! 
Without  that  we  should  long  since  have  ceased  to  make  any 
etfort  to  sustain  life.  If  our  life  was  to  be  always  like  these  last 
months,  it  would  not  be  worth  stru<jfiilinif  for;  but  I  seem  to  have 
u  premonition,  though  it  looks  so  dark  just  now,  that  we  shall 
weather  it  yet.  IIoi>('  wiiispers,  'You  will  see  your  home  again. 
The  life -spark  is  not  going  to  be  extinguished  yet.  You  shall 
yet  tell  the  story  of  God's  deliverance,  and  of  this  long  trial,  and 
praise  him  for  his  mercies,' 

"Our  old  pemmican  can.  cut  in  half,  wliich  has  served  us  for  a 
tHJoking- vessel  this  wiiiti'r,  and  in  which  all  our  food  has  been 
warmed  that  has  not  bern  oaten  raw  or  frozen,  got  full  of  holes; 
but  Hannah  has  managed  to  doctor  it  up  ho  that  it  will  liold  out 
a  little  lt)nger.  I  «lare  not  I«M>k  t«>  see  wiOi  what  the  holes  have 
been  stopped.  It  iy  dark  enough  inside  of  this  '  igltM),'iis  the  na- 
tives call  it,  but  nevertheless  I  am  comindhnl  U>  shut  my  eyes 
on  many  tKurjisions.     The  wind  still  continues  to  blow  vi»)l«ntly. 

"t)<M;  and  IIun!udi  are  sitting  in  front  of  ihc  lamp,  playing 


262 


ARCTIC  EXPERIEN'CES. 


checkers  on  an  old  piece  of  canvas,  the  squares  being  marked  out 
with  my  pencil.  They  use  buttons  for  men,  as  they  have  noth- 
ing better.  The  natives  easily  learn  any  sort  of  game  ;  some  of 
them  can  even  play  a  respectable  game  of  chess ;  and  cards  they 
understand  as  well  as  the  '  heathen  Chinee.'  Cards  go  wherever 
.sailors  go,  and  the  first  lessons  that  the  natives  of  any  uncivilized 
country  get  are  usually  from  sailors. 


UANNAH    \M>  Jut:    IM.AVIMU   UMItOIUUlM. 


*' Little  Piniey,  Joo  and  Hannah's  adopt***!  child,  a  little  ^'irl. 
is  sittinj;^  wraj>pt'd  'ii  a  nmsk-ox  skin;  overy  few  minute.**  she 
gays  to  her  mother,  'I  am  m  Uutv^ryl'  The  children  ofi«n  cry 
with  hunyrer.  It  makes  my  heart  uehe,  but  tlmy  are  obliged  to 
b<mr  it  with  tile  rent. 

"Still  that  Itrec/.'  m  Ijjowin^  from  the  north-wcNt ;  but,  in  wpite 
of  id  violi'iHM',  .liM'  and  Huns  are  g<#ing  to  try  and  hunt,  Vtnn 
felluwK,  iIh  V  kn«»w  Ui«ir  vitimiiort  to  b«*  dvn^HmU:  We  Um¥e 
Ar\fU^\  mpidly  in  thi*  itnlt*,  ami  m^mi,  i  tlunk.  im  muiii  u(  liimm^^ 

"An  mum  an  the  weather  nunientea  a  littic,  I  nhali  try  {mmI  (^t 


INTERIOR  OF  IIANS'S  HUT.  268 

a  false  keel  on  the  boat,  so  as  to  protect  her  some  when  travel- 
ing. I  saved  the  keel  of  the  other  boat  in  view  of  this.  It  is 
too  cold  as  yet  to  work  with  tools,  and  we  have  but  little  to  work 
with.  But  we  must  get  ready  soon.  Unless  there  is  some 
change,  we  must  move  or  starve.  We  must  find  water,  for  game 
will  soon  be  our  only  reliance ;  and  right  glad  would  I  be  if  I 
could  be  sure  of  getting  enough  seals  to  keep  the  breath  of  life 
in  eighteen  souls  —  nineteen;  for  the  baby,  Charlie  Polaris,  can 
not  get  nourishment  if  the  mother  remains  unfed. 

"On  going  into  Ilans's  hut  the  other  day  to  see  the  sick  boy, 
the  miserable  group  of  children  made  me  sad  at  heart.  The 
mother  was  trying  to  pick  a  few  scraps  of 'tried-out'  blubber  out 
of  their  lamp,  to  give  to  the  crying  children.  Augustina  is  al- 
most as  larj^e  as  her  mother,  and  is  twelve  or  thirteen  vears  old. 
She  is  naturally  a  fat,  heavy -built  girl,  but  she  looks  peaked  enough 
now.  Tobias  is  in  her  lap,  or  partly  so,  his  head  resting  on  her 
as  she  sits  on  the  ground,  with  a  skin  drawn  over  her.  She 
seemed  to  have  a  little  scrap  of  something  she  was  chewing  on, 
though  I  did  not  see  that  she  swallowed  any  thing.  The  little 
girl,  Sueci,  about  four  years  old,  was  crying — a  kind  of  chronic 
hunger  whine — and  I  could  just  see  the  baby's  head  in  the  moth- 
er's hood,  or  capote.  The  babies  have  no  clothing  whatever,  and 
are  carried  about  in  this  hood,  which  hangs  down  the  mother's 
back,  like  young  kangaroos  in  the  maternal  pouch,  only  on  the 
reversed  side  of  the  body.  All  I  coidd  do  was  to  encourage 
them  a  little.  T  iiavo  nothing  that  I  can  give  them  to  make  them 
any  more  comfortuble.  I  was  glad,  at  least,  to  see  that  they  had 
some  oil  Irft. 

"It  is  vet  vt'rv  niMMTfiiin  when  w<'  Khali  have  an  (ippDrtunity 
of  reaching  the  l.uid.  \V«'  atv  at  th.'  niircy  of  the  eurnnt,  and 
it  dcpiiMi-  .iitiri'ly  on  how  and  wlien-  Me  drift  thi.s  month.  I 
do  rifti  think  tii<'  tl'"-  will  bn'iik  u|>  til!  cnn.>*id»Tubly  lat<r  in  iIm- 
M;ttMm.  W<-  rnii.-'t  ha\.  -ali-s  It'ntii  tin'  -ouiSi  to  dif^irite^'ruU-  m>Ai 
ft  fliM-  n»  tloM  TIh-o-  1-  n.i  ti'iiin'/  th<'  sMU-un?*  varv  ho  niuch  : 
but  I  think,  <'v<';t  i*  w-'  '';,ii  not  tnak  •  iIk-  land,  that  th«'  Hot*  will 
hufi"  ..>"Hi||i>r  iii'v<'rul  w*.  kn  yt.  and  w    niust  drill  UiwarU  game 

"Til.    KwpiiftKinx   h>  1  e«m**  in.  and  f«»und  no  watpr. 

T\if  bfi-ii-u'  lutkht  Mil  -tiu'  uiiii  «:u!«  !tk<'  a  kijif' .  tlMiU^  it  ii  «fi!y 
Ml    IhUiw  '/ji.K    T]it'  i= »   m  ^i@k«i  «mt  c^KSi^  in  many 


264  Aiicrnc  expekiences. 

by  the  pressure  of  the  bergs ;  but  it  is  so  cold  that  they  freeze  up 
again  almost  instantly.  The  men  scarcely  show  their  heads  out 
of  their  hut.  I  think  they  have  at  last  become  convinced  that 
they  can  not  carry  out  their  project. 

"  We  feel  the  want  of  seal-meat  very  much,  and  fully  realize, 
by  its  absence,  what  a  benetit  we  derived  from  it.  In  comparison 
with  our  present  sensations,  we  were  actually  comfortable  while 
even  a  small  portion  of  our  last  supply  remained.  Now  the  cold 
takes  fierce  hold  of  our  shrunken  frames. 

"  We  have  only  three  bag"  of  bread  left — about  four  hundred 
pounds  in  all;  a  little  over  live  cans  of  pemmican,  weighing  for- 
ty-five pounds  apiece;  and  this  to  feed  eighteen  souls  for  I  know 
not  how  long.  It  is  now^  the  2d  of  February  only.  We  must 
count  on  six  or  eigiit  weeks  of  very  cold  weather  yet,  and  per- 
haps with  but  very  few  seals  to  help  spin  out  our  little  store. 

"/('Z/.  3.  The  gale  continued,  with  drifting  snow,  until  yester- 
day. The  snow  is  very  fine  and  penetrating,  and  so  thick  that 
you  can  .scarcely  tell  whether  it  is  really  snowing,  or  whether  it 
IS  simply  being  drifted  about  by  the  wind.  The  wind,  too,  has 
been  variable;  for  whichever  wav  I  looked  the  snow  came  in 
my  face.  To-day  the  wind  is  light,  from  the  west,  and  cloudy, 
but  not  snowing.  We  were  all  snowed  under  the  other  night, 
and  had  .some  little  difliculty  in  digging  our  way  out  to  air  and 
daylight.  This  morning  the  weather  is  more  moderate.  The 
glass  shows  15°  below  zero. 

"Dark  clouds  hang  low  in  tlie  horizon,  preventing  one  from 
seeing  tin;  land,  if  there  is  any  to  be  seen.  The  temperature  ris- 
ing .so  much,  after  the  strong  north-west  gale  which  we  have  had, 
give  me  .some  hope  that  the  wind  has  mastered  the  current,  and 
forced  u.s  toward  tlie  (ireenland  coast,  it  is  always  warmer  on 
the  ea.st  than  it  is  on  the  west  side  of  Davis  Strait;  but  lus  yet 
the  weather  is  to<i  thick. 

"  The  K.>v|uimaux  are  on  the  hunt  once  more,  and  we  who  stay 
at  home  ( ! )  an*  praying  for  their  success.  Tlie  inr-n.  knowitjg  now 
that  they  have  los^t  the  long  anticipati-d  Disco.  aj»}K'ar  more  rea- 
•onuble.  IJ«  (on-  we  pa.xwd  l)i.sco,  M<  y«TS  and  a  part  of  the  crew 
thought  th<  y  i-oult)  manage  this  ixisinesr',  and  .ho  wi>«he<l  to  eon- 
WA-  They  have  annoyed  me  very  much:  and  ih«*ir  asHuranec 
of -Joon  glutting  t»»  a  lawl  of  ph?nty  huM  been  the  eau.«K.'.  I  fear,  of 
many  mtdn  ujion  the  |»rovi»ioni«,  and  uf  more  Jjcing  eonnunMiJ 


LIVING  ON  LOW  RATIONS. 


265 


than  even  they  would  have  risked  had  they  not  been  deceived 
as  to  the  course  of  our  drift.  It  seems  they  were  persuaded 
that  they  would  reach  Disco  in  February,  and  so  I  suppose  they 
thought  it  hard  to  be  put  on  such  low  rations.  They  could  not 
see  the  necessity  of  trying  to  make  our  little  stock  last  until 
April,  or  even  March  ;  but  now  they  begin  to  comprehend  that 
they  did  not  know  as  much  about  these  seas  as  they  tliought 
they  did. 


kLHUUUMiJJCIt  liV   llieUKiUM. 


266  AUCTIC  EXl'Elilii^Clib. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Drearj',  yet  beautiful. — The  Formation  of  Icebergs. — Where  and  how  they  grow. — 
Variety  of  Form  and  History. — "The  Land  of  Desohition." — Strengtli  failing. — 
Travel  and  Rations. — Unhealtiiy  InHuenie  of  mistaken  Views. — Managing  a  Kyack 
on  young  Ice. — Secures  the  Seal. — "Clubbing  their  Loneliness." — Poor  little  Pu- 
ney's  Amusement. — Any  Thing  good  to  eat  that  don't  poison. — Narwhals,  or  Sea- 
uniconis. — A  royal  Seat. — Hans  criticised. — Cleaning  House. — "Pounding-day." 
— Our  Carpet. — Lunching  by  the  Vard  on  Seids  Entrails. — "Oh!  give  me  my 
Harpoon." — No  Clothing  fit  to  hunt  in. — Inventory  of  Wardrobe. — Narwhals  use- 
ful in  carrying  oft"  Ball  and  Ammunition. — Pleasant  Sensations  in  Ketrosi)ect. — 
The  Skin  of  the  Nose. — Castles  in  the  Air. — Violent  Gale  and  Snow-storm. — Dig- 
ging out. — Three  Feet  square  for  Exercise. — Uante's  Ice-hell. 

"  This  afternoon  it  has  cleared  off.  The  weather  is  beautiful : 
the  thermometer  says  only  13°  below  zero.  I  look  anxiously  for 
the  land,  but  all  is  ice  and  icebergs.  The  ice  and  the  sky  is  our 
only  '  view.'  Dreary,  and  yet  beautiful ;  when  the  sun  shines 
on  the  bergs,  and  lights  up  their  massive  or  fantastic  forms,  some- 
times through  the  crystal  pendants  or  projecting  peaks,  we  see 
all  the  prismatic  colors  as  in  a  rainbow.  The  forms,  too,  vary 
to  a  surprising  extent.  Every  berg  appears  to  have  had  an  in- 
dividual history,  and  presents,  in  its  contour,  the  effects  of  battles 
with  wind  and  water,  rain  and  storm,  and  rough  jostling  with 
its  fellows  which  it  has  experienced  from  its  birth.  I  say  its 
birth ;  for  icebergs  do  not  grow  in  the  water,  as  many  imagine, 
but  originate  at  the  foot  or  outlet  of  the  glaciers  which  every- 
where on  the  north-western  coast  of  Greenland  project  them- 
selves into  the  sea. 

"The  process  seems  to  be  something  like  this:  nearly  all  the 
interior  of  Greenland,  or  at  least  a  very  extensive  tract  of  coun- 
try, appears  to  con.«ist  of  an  immense  mer  de  glace,  or  sea  of  ice; 
and  this  throws  off  a  large  number  of  rivers  of  ice,  or  glaciers, 
and  the.se  slowly,  very  slowly,  make  their  way  to  the  coast,  often 
reaching  the;  shore  over  high  rocks.  Hut  no  matter  what  is  in 
^their  way.  they  ptjsh  on,  and  even  into  the  sea;  the  foot  of  the 
glacier,  which  may  ofton  be  measured  by  miles  (you  may  sail 


ANTICS  OF  THE  ICEBERGS.  267 

along  the  face  of  the  Great  Iluinboklt  Glacier  for  as  many  as  six- 
ty), projects  under  the  water  as  well  as  above  it ;  and  when  it 
gets  beyond  a  certain  height  and  depth  the  tides  force  themselves 
under  it,  and  this,  combined  with  its  own  weight  hanging  over 
the  precipice,  finally  forces  it  off  from  the  parent  glacier,  and  at 
its  disruption  it  may  be  said  'an  iceberg  is  born.' 

"The  berg  then  sails  off,  and,  like  the  human  race,  each  one 
fulfills  its  own  destiny.  Some  are  grounded,  perhaps,  not  man}' 
miles  from  their  birthplace;  others  travel  on,  and  get  shored  up 
on  a  floe  like  this,  and  keep  it  company,  as  ours  have  done,  for 
hundreds  of  leagues;  others  pursue  their  solitary  and  majestic 
course  toward  the  open  sea,  and  gently  melt  away  their  lives  in 
the  deep  swell  of  the  Atlantic;  some,  like  desperadoes  of  the 
highway,  make  straight  for  some  noble  ship,  and  send  her  found- 
ering to  the  bottom,  with  all  her  precious  freight  of  human 
souls.  And  as  they  are  different  in  their  history,  so  are  they 
varied  in  appearance ;  some  being  wall-like,  solid  ramparts,  with 
square,  almost  perpendicular,  faces,  impossible  to  scale,  two  or 
three  miles  long,  and  half  as  many  broad ;  others  might,  at  a  lit- 
tle distance,  be  mistaken  for  a  splendid  palace,  a  Turkish  mosque, 
or  a  Gothic  church, 

"' Whose  spire 
Chimes  out  to  the  breezes  a  song, 
And  glows  in  the  sunset  like  fire.' 

Occasionally  a  berg  gets  worn  away  at  the  water-line,  while  the 
base  below  the  water  is  intact,  and  supports  an  extended  surface 
on  a  comparatively  narrow  stem  ;  others  are  tunneled  or  arched : 
in  fact,  there  is  no  limitation  as  to  form  or  size.  The  most  beau- 
tiful and  the  most  grotesque  may  sail  side  by  side ;  one  may  be 
a  mile  square,  and  the  other  only  forty  or  fifty  feet.  Whether 
large  or  small,  but  a  small  proportion  of  either  is  seen  ;  the  great 
mass  is  always  below  the  water.  The  proportion  varies  accord- 
ing to  the  amount  ol  salt  in  the  water ;  but  a  berg  never  shows 
more  than  an  eighth  or  a  seventh  of  its  size.  But  for  the  terror 
and  the  beauty  combined,  if  any  one  is  interested  in  the  birth, 
life,  and  death  of  icebergs,  let  them  read  Dr.  Hayes's  book,  called 
'The  Land  of  Desolation  ' — meaning  Greenland. 

"As  I  stand,  this  beautiful  morninj',  and  look  up  on  the  white 
waste  of  desolation  around  me,  with  here  and  there  a  splendid 
spectacle  of  illuminated  ice  spears,  1  think  of  Tennyson's  words: 


208  ARCTIC  EXPEUIKNCES. 

'•' Break,  break,  break 

(Jn  tliese  cold  iee  blocks,  O  scii  I 
And  1  w(  uld  that  my  tongue  could  utter 
The  thoughts  tiiut  arise  in  ine." 

But  language  is  too  feeble.     I  give  it  up. 

'•  It  is  getting  cold  again;  our  one  short,  pleasant  day  has  gone; 
and  the  night  comes  on  drear  and  cheei'less ;  the  mercury  has 
fallen  to  26*^  below  zero.  Joe  and  Ilans  have  returned,  too, 
empty-handed.  They  did  see  cracks  in  the  ice,  but  they  were 
closed  over,  and  on  the  young  ice  they  could  see  plenty  of  seal- 
holes,  but  the  ice  was  too  thin  to  bear  them.  However,  this  gives 
promise  of  seals  as  soon  as  the  young  ice  thickens  a  little. 

^^Feh.  -i.  We  are  again  confined  to  our  huts  by  a  strong  gale 
from  the  north,  the  snow  drifting  so  much  that  it  penetrates  our 
clothing  from  liead  to  foot ;  so,  as  we  all  wish  to  keep  as  dry  as 
possible,  there  is  very  little  going  out-of-doors.  This  gale  is 
sending  us  fast  to  the  southward,  but  we  do  not  seem  to  approach 
either  shore,  which  makes  the  prospect  of  eventually  saving  all 
this  party  very  doubtful.  If  I  succeed  iji  that  with  God's  help. 
I  shall  have  something  to  be  thankful  for  all  my  days. 

'  My  great  fear  constantly  is  that  all  our  bread  and  pemmican 
will  be  consumed  before  the  season  is  sufficiently  advanced  to 
get  seals  enough  to  keep  the  life  in  all  these  men,  women,  and 
children.  We  are,  I  fear,  but  surely  starving,  though  slowly. 
The  men  have  but  little  strength  left.  They  th.emselves  know 
not  how  weak  they  are,  as  they  are  doing  nothing.  I  try  my 
own  strenjTth,  when  the  weather  is  not  too  bad,  bv  walkinjif  a  lit- 
tie,  and  it  is  pocr  encouragement  for  attempting  a  fatiguing  jour- 
ney over  the  ice.  I  do  not  dare  to  commence  traveling  with  such 
an  enfeebled  company  this  month,  when  we  may  expect  as  cold 
weather  as  any  we  have  had.  It  would  be  an  unjustifiable  risk 
to  expose  these  people,  who  have  been  housed  in  some  sort  of 
fashion  all  winter,  to  the  piercing  gales  of  an  unprotected  ice- 
pack, while  in  their  present  half-starved  condition.  One  storm 
would  probably  be  death  to  the  whole  party.  If  we  phould  start, 
it  would  be  absolutely  nece.ssary  to  increase  the  ..l  mis;  they 
could  not  move  forward  and  drag  the  boat  on  their  present  al- 
lowance, and  then,  with  larger  rations,  how  soon  all  wc  I'  be 
2:one !  It  is  the  east  coast  on  which  every  mind  is  set.  '  .ave 
not  the  means  of  taking  observations,  and  so  gettiiig  our  correct 


MISTAKEN  VIEWS.  269 

position ;  but  I  am  quite  certain  we  are  very  much  nearer  to  the 
west  coast  than  we  are  to  the  east;  Uiat  \^:  certainly  a  long  way 
off.  It  would  taice  a  long  time  to  reach  it  even  by  strong  men 
well  fed  and  clothed,  and  unencumbered  bv  women  and  children. 

"We  could  have  been  rescued,  this  whole  storm-beaten,  weary 
party,  with  one  hour's  steaming  or  run  under  sail.  Exhausted 
it  mu'st  have  been  known  we  were,  without  shelter  or  fire;  some 
of  us  poorly  clad,  and  without  food;  for  in  the  darkness  no  one 
could  tell  whether  we  had  saved  any  provisions  or  not,  or  even 
that  we  had  a  boat;  unless  they  coulu  see  the  boats  from  the  Po- 
laris; and  if  they  could  see  them  and  lis,  then  could  also  be  seen 
the  pack-ice,  and  all  would  know  that  it  was  too  thick  for  a  small 
boat  to  get  through.'"^ 

"If  God  in  his  nv^'cy  saves  this  party  —  for  man  can  do  but 
little  here — if  a  just  God  will  grant  us  life,  and  send  us  seals  to 
sustain  us,  I  care  not  toward  what  part  of  the  coast  we  drift;  I 
know  it  all  about  here — north,  east,  and  west.  If  we  can  only 
get  to  land  anywhere,  the  rest  is  easy.  On  the  w^est  coast  I  could 
find  ships,  and  on  the  east  the  Danish  and  Esquimaux  settle- 
ments.    But  the  coast  of  Labrador  is  a  barren,  cheerless  land. 

^'■Evening.  The  gale  still  raging  without,  and  snowing,  but  the 
thermometer  has  been  as  high  as  —10°. 

"Mr,  Meyers  promulgates  the  statement  that  the  straits  in  lat. 
66°  N.  are  only  eight}^  miles  wide!  He  would  find  it  a  long 
eighty  miles'  walk  over  the  ice.  This  man  is  very  troublesome, 
the  more  so  that  I  have  no  chart  to  show  them  to  the  contrary. 
His  interference  destroys  all  discipline.  They  think  they  are 
going  to  escape  easily,  and  this,  of  course,  makes  them  less  care- 
ful and  prudent  than  men  ought  to  be  in  our  precarious  position. 
We  are  so  short  of  provisions  now  that  I  wish  to  impress  each 
one  of  the  danger  of  using  more  than  just  enough  to  sustain  life 
until  the  season  is  further  advanced,  and  there  is  a  reasonable 
probability  of  getting  seals. 

'■'■Feb.  bth  comes  in  with  a  strong  southerly  breeze  :  the  natives 
off  hoping  to  find  food.  I  shall  now  have  the  keel  of  the  boat 
repaired  and  made  ready  for  traveling  as  soon  as  possible.  We 
have  been  so  long  without  seals  that  the  Esquimaux  are  very 
much  afraid  of  starving  to  death — it  upsets  them  very  much.     It 

•  See  T.etter  of  Mr.  R.  W.  D.  Biyan's,  in  the  Appendix, 


270 


ARCTIC  EXPEUIENCES. 


is  not  surprising;  and  sometimes  I  believe  they  fear  worse:  they 
are  afraid  of  some  of  the  men. 

''It  is  not  very  cold  this  morning — only  17°  below  zero. 

'■'Evenirnj.  A  streak  of  luck  to-day,  or,  rather,  I  should  say  a 
Providential  gift.  Joe  has  brought  home  a  seal.  lie  shot  two 
others,  but  lost  them  in  the  young  ice.  Hans  got  the  seal  after 
it  was  shot.  It  does  seem  as  thousfh  when  we  cfet  to  the  last 
gasp  a  seal  just  comes  in  the  way  to  prevent  a  fatal  catastrophe. 
This  seal  is  a  very  little  fellow;  but  we  shall  make  a  better  meal 
on  him  than  we  have  had  for  many  days.  There  will  not  be 
hide  or  hair  of  him  left,  or  any  thing  inside  or  out  but  bone  and 
the  gall;  tliat  even  we  throw  away.     All  else  is  consumed. 


HANS    (iOlNG    iOK    .V   SK.Vl.   ON    YOL'Ni;    lOE. 


"It  has  been  pleasant  to-day,  and  during  the  gale  last  night 
there  was  plenty  of  water  around  us ;  but  as  soon  as  the  wind  died 
away  the  new  ice  made  instantly,  so  thai  the  capture  of  a  seal 
was  scarcely  expected.     Thermometer  —24°  to-day. 

^'■Feb.  6.  Yesterday  I  helped  carry  the  kyack  over  to  Hans,  to 
help  him  get  our  little  seal.  There  was  no  water,  only  young- 
ice,  and  I  was  curious  to  see  how  he  would  manage.  The  seal 
had,  unfortunately  for  himself,  just  stuck  his  head  through  the 
young  ice  apparently  to  gaze  at  the  sun,  and  its  glare,  instead  of 
aiding  his  perception,  appears  to  have  dazed  him,  or  charmed  him, 
so  that  he  was  less  on  the  alert  for  enemies  than  he  should  have 
been.  We  wanted  him  too  badly  to  respect  his  sentimental  ad- 
miration of  the  great  luminary,  and  Joe  took  advantage  of  his 


A  SXUW-DUliT.  271 

rapt  attention  to  put  a  ball  through  his  head.  The  body  of  the 
seal  lay  some  sixty  yards  distant  from  the  old  ice  on  which  we 
stood.  Hans  g<jt  in  the  kyaek.  I  pushed  him  on  the  young  ice; 
he  then,  by  sticking  his  paddle  in  the  ice  and  by  movements  of 
the  body,  propelled  the  kyack  toward  the  seal.  The  ice  would 
not  have  borne  him  had  he  attempted  to  walk  over  it ;  the  weight, 
being  extended  over  a  larger  surface  in  the  kyack,  it  bore  him. 
And  then,  too,  had  the  ice  broken,  he  was  safe  with  the  kyaek 
under  him.  He  finally  reached  the  seal,  and,  making  one  end  of 
a  line  fast  to  its  head  and  the  other  to  the  kyack,  he  turned  the 
latter  with  the  same  peculiar  movements  with  which  he  had  pro- 
pelled it,  and  got  back  with  the  seal  safe  to  the  thick  ice.  When 
Hans  landed  with  the  welcome  prize  he  was  perspiring  freely, 
for  it  was  hard  work.  The  natives  usually  drag  the  seals  behind 
them  over  the  ice;  and  each  one  soon  goes  the  way  of  i.il  flesh, 
only  reserving  the  blubber  for  oil. 

"This  morning,  as  usual,  the  natives  renewed  their  hunt;  but 
it  had  been  blowing  stroiig  all  through  the  night,  and  though  it 
cleared  a  little  in  the  morning,  it  soon  came  up  a  thick  snow-di'ift, 
and  in  half  an  hour  was  too  thick  to  see  through.  When  I  was 
out  yesterday,  I  noticed  particularly  the  state  of  the  ice  of  which 
our  floe  and  surroundings  arc  composed,  it  is  very  rough  now. 
piled  and  crushed  up  in  every  imaginable  shape.  How  long  it 
will  hold  together  is  problematical,  but  I  think  some  time  yet. 
Joe  and  Hans  returned  at  3  p.m.  No  success  to-day.  Wind  now 
from  the  north-east;  thick  and  snowing. 

"7  P.M.  This  evening  the  wind  has  suddenly  hauled  to  the 
south;  still  thick  and  snowing.  Thermometer  only  —5°  this 
afternoon.  I  can  see  but  a  few  yards  before  rac.  The  ice  is  in 
our  pan  over  the  Are — that  is,  our  little  lamp.  It  is  being  melt- 
ed to  make  our  pemmican  tea.  Joe  and  Hannah  at  their  usual 
game  of  checkers.  When  I  see  people  who  don't  know  what 
else  to  do  resorting  to  checkers,  it  always  reminds  me  of  what 
Dickens  wrote  of  a  forlorn  old  couple  who  tried  to  consider  that 
it  was  a  social  way  of  spending  the  evening.  He  said  it  was 
more  like  'clubbing  their  loneliness'  thr.n  indulging  in  sociality. 
It  is  certainly  so  here. 

"Little  Puney,  for  want  of  occupation  or  amusement,  keeps 
dijrsing  with  a  knife  into  the  snow-wall  of  our  hut.  She  has 
had  her  share  of  seal -meat,  and  is  not  quite  so  hungry  to-day; 


272  AKCTIC  EXrElilENCES. 

while  I,  having  used  all  the  paper  I  can  aUbrd  to  date  —  for  I 
have  to  econoinize  my  only  blank  paper  as  earefully  as  our  bread 
— sit  and  bite  my  whiskers  of  some  montiis'  gi'owth,  all  of  us  re- 
gardless of  the  storm  raging  outside,  though  it  is  quite  certain 
that  some  southerly  storm,  if  it  linds  us  later  in  the  season  on  this 
floe,  will  break  us  up  and  set  us  adrift,  God  knows  where. 

''Feb.  7.  The  southerly  gale  did  not  last  long;  it  abated  at  mid- 
night, and  this  morning  we  have  a  light  breeze  from  the  west. 
Fine  weather,  but  I  see  the  effects  of  the  gale.  Some  of  our  win- 
ter friends,  the  bei'gs,  have  changed  their  positions,  and  the  ice 
has  opened  in  many  places,  though  the  young  ice  has  formed  over 
the  cracks. 

''  I  want,  if  possible,  to  get  seal  enough  in  the  next  forty  days 
so  as  to  extend  our  bread  and  pemmican  out  until  April.  We 
can  do  this  with  the  allowance  now  dealt  out,  if  we  lie  still,  and 
do  not  attempt  to  travel ;  we  can  make  it  last,  perhaps,  until  the 
20th  of  March.  If  we  get  on  our  feet,  it  will  disappear  like  chaff 
before  tie  wind. 

"  Our  last  seal  we  ate  partly  raw  and  partly  cooked ;  latterly 
we  have  cooked  the  skin  and  drank  the  greasy  water.  Joe  says, 
'  Any  thing  is  good  that  don't  poison  you.'  '  Yes,'  I  respond, 
'any  thing  that  will  sustain  life' — and  down  it  goes;  and  re- 
pulsive though  it  be,  it  is  astonishing  how  this  warm  greasy 
water,  with  a  little  seal's  blood  in  it,  stimulates  the  flagging  en- 
ergies. We  save  the  blood  by  letting  it  freeze  in  hollows  made 
in  the  ice.  The  days  are  not  very  long  yet.  Day-break  at  8 
A.M.,  but  dark  at  4  p.m.  It  is  quite  cold  again ;  thermometer  26^. 
and  inclined  down. 

"3  P.M.  Esquimaux  returned,  and  we  are  all  rejoicing  over  an- 
other feast  of  seal-meat.  Ilans  shot  one  about  noon.  They  also 
shot  two  narwhals — Joe  one,  and  Hans  one — but  could  not  get 
them ;  they  both  sank.  There  are  now  many  openijigs  in  the  ice, 
and  numbers  of  narwhals  going  north. 

"Those  narwhals  are  sometimes  called  sea-unicorns,  or  mono- 
do7is.  on  account  of  the  long  horn — six  to  eight  feet  long — which 
projects  from  the  upper  jaw.  In  realit}'-,  however,  this  append- 
age is  not  a  horn,  but  an  elongated  tooth,  including  the  ru  ^iment 
of  a  second  tooth.  This  formidable  weapon  is  quite  straight, 
tapering  from  base  to  point,  and  has  a  spiral  twist  from  left  to 
right;  the  animal  (for  it  is  not  a  fish)  is  fifteen  or  sixteen  feet 


THE  NARWHAL. 


273 


loncj.  On  the  back,  instead  of  a  dorsal  lin,  there  is  a  lov;  fattv 
ridire,  extending'  i'ur  between  two  or  three  feet.  The  usual  color 
of  the  skin  is  dark  gray,  with  darker  spots  or  patches  on  the  sides; 
some  are  lighter  colored  than  others.  The  young  of  the  narwhal 
has  a  bluish-gray  tinge.  The  narwhal  usually  go  in  schools  of 
ten  or  twelve,  sometimes  more ;  they  are  migratory,  and  when 
they  come  playing  round  the  whale-ships  are  regarded  as  fore- 
runners of  tlie  right  whale.  Thev  feed  on  mollusks  and  other  soft 
animals.  When  attacked,  they  sometimes  fight  fiercely.  They 
are  harpooned  for  their  oil  and  ivory,  and  also,  by  the  Greenland- 
ers,  for  their  flesh.  The  flesh  is  highly  relished  by  them.  The 
oil  is  excellent ;  the  ivory  is  both  hard  and  white,  and  takes  a 
good  })olish.  The  Danes  and  natives  work  it  up  into  many  arti- 
cles of  domestic  use. 


N-\"^ 


N.VUWllAl,. 


"When  these  seas  were  first  visited  by  Europeans,  they  car- 
ried home  all. sorts  of  fabulous  stories  about  these  'sea-unicorns,' 
as  they  always  called  them ;  and  the  Danes  relate  that  the  throne 
seat  of  the  king  of  Denmark  was  made  out  of  narwhal  ivory. 
There  is  nothing  so  improbable  in  that.  If  polished  and  carved, 
it  would  make   a  very  handsome,  and  certainly  a  very  uncom- 


mon, chair. 


"  We  have  had  some  little  trouble  over  our  seal  this  evening. 
Hans,  if  he  gets  a  seal  —  which  is  very  seldom,  for  he  has  shot 
but  very  few,  wishes  to  appropriate  it  all  to  bis  own  and  family's 

18 


274  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

use,  without  considering  that  lie  and  his  family  get  their  daily  al- 
lowance of  bread  and  pemniican  with  all  the  rest,  lie  must  not 
be  allovvec  to  have  more  than  an  equal  share.  lie  is  a  very 
thoughtless  Esquimau,  or  selfish  ;  he  is  not  a  successful  hunter, 
like  Joe,  nor  has  he  his  tense.  lie  does  not  know  how  to  build 
a  hut  for  liimself,  or,  at  any  rate,  he  did  not  do  it.  Joe  built  it 
lor  him.  He  could  not  take  care  of  himself  in  a  country  so  sparse 
of  game  as  it  is  about  here. 

"I  do  not  wonder  at  Sontag's  (Dr.  Hayes's  astronomer)  freez- 
ing to  death,  or  at  any  thing  else  happening  to  him,  or  to  any 
white  man  left  in  the  hands  of  such  a  miserable  creature  as  Hans 
has  proved.  He  threatened  this  evening  '  not  to  hunt  any  more.' 
Let  him  try  it.  He  will  go  very  hungry  in  that  case,  for  I  shall 
not  allow  him  any  thing  out  of  our  stores  should  he  persist.  He 
was  hired  (and  will  be  paid,  if  we  ever  get  home)  for  the  very 
purpose  of  hunting  for  the  expedition.  It  is  no  favor  on  his 
part. 

^''Feh.8.  The  westerly  breeze  did  not  last  long  this  morning: 
we  have  it  now  to  the  southward;  very  light  breeze,  however. 
Morning  clear,  and  fine  weather.  The  ice  is  still  open  in  many 
places,  the  young  ice  forming  fast.  Seeing  the  narwhals  so 
I)lenty  looks  very  favorable.  There  must  be  considerable  open 
water  not  many  miles  distant,  and  that  open  water  should  1  ;ad 
to  land.  The  horizon,  nearly  every  day,  is  dark  and  heavy  to 
the  east ;  as  the  sun  gets  more  power  we  shall  see  better.  Noth- 
ing can  as  yet  be  done.  Hans  has  come  to  his  senses:  he  has 
irone  with  Joe.  Thermometer  this  morirno:,  at  8  a.m..  —87°,  but 
inclined  up. 

"I  think  I  have  not  heretofore  recorded  the  fact  that  since  we 
have  had  sufficient  daylight  we  have  our  'cleaning-house'  day; 
or,  rather,  more  accurately,  cleaning -hut  day.  As  may  well  be 
imagined,  the  moisture  which  arises  from  cooking,  as  well  as  the 
exhalations  of  our  own  lunafs,  condenses  and  clings  to  the  inside 
lining  of  our  hut.  It  gets  so  th'ck  at  times  that  it  falls  on  our 
Vjedding,  making  it  very  uncomfortable.  So  we  have  our  'pound- 
ing-day,' when  we  attack  the  canvas  tapestry  of  our  apartment, 
and  beat  off  the  clinging  icicles,  and  all  that  has  frozen  to  the  sur- 
face which  we  can  get  off.  As  we  beat  it  from  the  walls,  of 
course  it  falls  on  the  carpet.  The  'carpet'  is  a  bit  of  old  canvas 
which  is  spread  over  our  floor  of  ice.     This  'carpet'  is  a  sight  to 


LUNCH  OF  SEAL-SKIN.  275 

behold,  incrusted  with  the  accumulated  drippings  of  grease,  blood, 
saliva,  ice,  and  dirt  of  four  weary  monihs — all  of  which  can  not 
be  removed  by  our  limited  means  of  cleaning,  namely,  taking  it 
out  of  the  hut,  and  shaking  and  beating  it.  Any  civilized  being 
would  be  astonished,  on  looking  in  upon  us,  that  human  beings 
could  have  lived  so  long  in  such  a  wretched  hole.  We  shake 
our  carpet  every  day,  now  that  the  weather  permits. 

"4p.m.  The  natives  have  returned;  saw  but  few  seals,  and 
could  not  get  those ;  but  they  saw  plenty  of  narwhals,  and  shot 
five,  but  did  not  kill  them — thev  all  got  awav.  Some  of  the  men 
are  discouraged  now,  because  they  think  that  the  narwhals  drive 
away  the  seals;  but  they  do  not.  A  strong  wind  from  the  south- 
v/ard,  and  very  cold.     Thermometer  —20^ 

^'■Fth.  9.  During  the  nioht  the  wind  hauled  from  south  to 
north ;  this  morning  blowing  heavy,  with  a  dense  snow.  It 
drifts  so  that  we  are  compelled  to  keep  in  our  burrows.  Our 
huts  are  already  nearly  buried  in  the  drift,  and  we  shall  have 
some  digging  to  do  to  get  out.  Should  the  gale  continue  much 
longer,  it  will  send  us  past  Ilolsteinborg.  We  are  making  a  rap- 
id drift.  Heaven  only  knows  where  ve  shall  get  to  before  the 
weather  will  permit  us  to  start  for  the  land.  It  would  be  follj 
to  start  now.  We  can  get  nowhere  until  the  water  makes :  then 
we  must  rely  on  our  rifles  for  a  living.  That  resource  failing, 
we  knoiu  our  fate  f 

"2  P.M.  The  wind  has  changed  to  the  north-west,  but  still 
blowing  heavy;  but  it  is  warmer  —  mercury  just  beginning  to 
fall  again,  however.  I  have  just  indulged  in  a  lunch  of  seal- 
skin: two  small  pieces,  with  a  little  cup  of  the  greasy  water  it, 
was  boiled  in,  Joe,  Hannah,  and  little  Puney  lunching  with  me 
on  the  same  delicacies.  To-morrow  we  anticipate  the  pleasure 
of  varying  the  bill  of  fare  with  a  yard  or  so  of  entrails  and  a 
piece  of  ligiits  which  is  in  reserve. 

"5.30.  Wind  moderating;  snow  stopped  drifting.  Joe  discov- 
ered a  hole  of  water  close  to  our  floe.  He  and  Hans  instantly 
started  with  their  rifles.  On  .'^..-riving  at  the  water,  found  nar- 
whals very  plenty.     Each  shot  a  narwhal,  but  they  both  sank. 

"  Wher  we  started  on  this  ice-craft  we  had  with  us  one  of  the 
ship's  whaling  harpoons,  but,  like  every  thing  else,  it  has  been 
destroyed — one  of  the  men  cutting  it  up  for  a  spear.  Had  I 
that  harpoon  with  the  boat-warp  now,  it  would  be  comparatively 


276  AUCTIC  KXl'KUIKNCKS. 

easy  to  get  u  narwhal,  one  or  more  —  as  they  lie  in  temptinir 
proximity  alongside  of  the  ice.  One  of  them  woulil  sn)>j)ly  us 
with  meat,  and  blubber  too,  for  a  long  time.  By  throwing  the 
barj)oon  in  one  with  the  line  attached,  the  men  holding  tlie  line, 
we  could  then  get  across  the  rough  ice,  and  kill  them  with  u 
spear:  but  though  they  may  be  killed  by  a  shot,  they  almost 
uniformly  sink,  and  are  thus  lost. 

"/l/v.  10.  The  gale  has  been  verv  severe  during  the  night  from 
the  north-west,  with  another  heavy  snow-drift;  it  is  still  strong, 
though  moderating;.  Joe  and  llans  are  waiting  lor  the  snow  to 
cease,  when  they  will  be  off  t')  the  holes  of  water,  if  they  have 
not  closed  over,  while  I  have  to  stay  at  home,  because  1  have  not 
clothing  fit  to  face  such  weather  in.  In  fact,  I  have  scarcely  any 
clothing  with  me  fit  for  the  climate;  and  that  which  1  have  on 
my  back  has  not  been  off  tor  four  months.  All  1  have  is  draw- 
ers and  an  old  seal-skin  pair  of  breeches,  three  years  old,  and  very 
much  worn,  full  of  holes;  an  under  and  over  shirt;  a  light  cot- 
ton jumper;  and  a  Russian  cap,  and  all  of  this  as  greasy  and 
dirty  as  it  is  possible  to  imagine,  after  the  length  of  time  I  have 
lived  in  this  suit,  the  sort  of  work  I  have  done  in  it,  including 
cutting  and  handling  dead  seals  and  greasy  blubber.  As  foi' 
washing  face  or  hands,  there  has  been  no  means  of  doing  either; 
and  I  have  been  deprived  of  that  luxury  for  the  whole  period 
we  have  been  on  the  ice,  not  having  even  a  pocket-handker- 
chief to  use  for  a  towel.  I  comb  my  hair  with  the  only  comb  in 
the  encampment — Ilannah's  coarse  comb — and  call  it  my  morn- 
ing wash. 

"1  P.M.  We  hear  the  loud  call  of  Joe  fci'  'kyack!  kyack !'  I 
rush  out,  and,  mustermg  up  seven  of  our  party — the  others  are 
'sick,'  but  not  too  sick  to  eat — we  take  the  kyack  and  start  to- 
ward Joe.  I  also  took  with  me  Joe's  lonsj  knife  and  lonsr  seal- 
line,  not  knowing  but  he  had  shot  a  narwhal  where  he  hoped  to 
secure  it.  On  getting  to  him,  however,  found  it  to  be  two  seals; 
they  were  soon  hauled  out  on  to  the  firm  ice,  and  dragged  to 
the  huts,  where  there  is  at  this  writing  some  'going  in'  on  seal- 
mea^<.  This  time  they  can  all  have  a  good  meal.  Joe  and  Hans 
have  gone  back  after  some  narv/hals,  seen  by  them  near  by  where 
Joe  shot  the  seals.  The  weather  is  quite  pleasant  this  afternoon  ; 
onl}''  12°  below  zero. 

"5  P.M.  The  natives  returned,  having  had  no  further  success. 


WANT  OF  CLEAN  UNDKR-CLDTIIING.  277 

Joe  shot  one  narwhal;  l)iit,  like  the  others,  it  got  off,  carrying 
the  ball,  or  sank.  I'o-day  I  iiave  I'ared  well,  luiving  had  some 
cooked  seal -skill  and  cooked  entrails  with  the  soup,  and  this 
evening  some  raw  meat  and  my  pemmicaii  tea.  I  hope  there 
will  be  no  worse  fare  than  that  while  on  the  ice.  The  most  I 
concern  myself  now  about  what  1  eat  is,  to  get  something,  and 
suilieient  of  it,  to  keen  from  getting  any  weaker;  I  should  like  to 
feel  that  1  was  ffaiiiing  strencrth.  I  don't  know  what  draft  will 
be  made  upon  our  endurance  yet,  or  what  I  may  need  my 
strength  for. 

"/'(/>.  11.  Have  heard  the  narwhals  all  night  'blowing'  in  the 
holes  and  cracks.  As  the  weather  will,  I  trust,  soon  permit  me 
to  keep  out,  at  least  a  few  hours  at  a  time.  I  must,  if  possible,  get 
hold  of  a  rifle,  and  then  I  can  help  do  something  to  support  this 
party.  But  through  February  this  old  dirty  clothing  will  do  lit- 
tle to  protect  me  from  the  strong  piercing  winds.  I  am  trying 
to  recall  the  pleasant  sensation  of  putting  on  clean  clothing,  and 
how,  while  whaling,  when  I  got  my  feet  wet  and  cold,  what  a 
comfort  it  was  to  get  on  a  clean  pair  of  stockings  or  socks — how 
much  warmer  they  felt  than  the  damp,  soiled  ones ;  vet,  perhaps 
I  had  only  \.'orn  the  discarded  ones  a  few  hours,  and  now  I  am 
sitting  with  ibur  months'  dirt  clinging  to  me,  and  no  way  of  rid- 
ding myself  of  it.  Oh,  for  a  good  wash  and  some  clean  under- 
clothing! I  would  care  nothing  for  my  old  torn  breeches  and 
my  filthy  cotton  jumper  if  I  could  get  something  clean  beneath. 
Well,  perhaps  the  waters  of  Davis  Strait  will  yet  wash  r/ic-  clean  ; 
so  I  won't  grumble  too  much. 

"The  thermometer  is  at  16°  below  zero;  but  I  do  not  feel 
cold  at  all,  having  had  a  good  meal  of  raw  seal-meat,  a  drink  of 
the  blood,  and  some  blubber.  Nearly  all  the  men  have  what  is 
called  'the  skin  of  the  nose' — skinning,  it  should  be;  and  Ilans's 
liice  is  much  swollen  and  sore  from  being  frost-bitten. 

"  I  hear  nothing  lately  from  the  men  of  Disco  and  Copenhagen. 
They  have  come  to  a  realization  of  their  situation — some  of  them, 
at  least.  Through  the  long  dark  winter  it  was  all  they  could 
think  or  talk  of  They  were  'sure  of  getting  to  Disco  in  Febru- 
ary.' There  there  w\as  abundance  to  eat  and  drink;  they  'could 
take  what  they  pleased — clothing,  liquors,  eatables' — and  from 
Disco  to  Copenhagen,  where  'liquor  was  cheap,'  cigars  were 
'cheap,'  ever\^  thing  was  'chenp,'  in  fact — or  rather  in  their  im- 


278  AKCTIC  KXPKRIENrES. 

aginations.  Eacli  was  to  buv  a  sroUl  watch,  and  then  thcv  were 
to  go  home  by  steamer,  passengers — the  'Government  paying 
their  passage'  of  course — and  each  a  hero  in  his  own  estimation. 
It  was  a  pretty  dream,  these  castles  in  the  air,  but  somehow  the 
elements  did  not  favor  its  eonsuinniation  ;  and  here  they  are  yet, 
•clothed  and  in  their  right  minds,"  comparatively  .sjjcaking.  But 
I  know  not  when  or  how  the  delusion  may  appear  again. 

"The  wind  has  increased  to  a  gale,  and  is  accompanied  with 
the  usual  si;OW-drift. 

"2  J'.M.  Joe  and  Ilans  returned  without  success  to-day;  they 
sav,'  many  holes  in  the  young  ice,  where  the  narwhals  had  been 
during  the  night.  But  they  could  not  stay  out  long  on  account 
of  the  weather. 

"/1V>.  12.  The  gale  or  hurricane,  as  it  might  be  called,  has  been 
very  violent  during  the  night,  moderating  some,  but  still  a  strong 
gale  this  morning.  We  are  completely  buried  in  the  snow-drift. 
It  will  require  long  digging  with  our  little  wooden  shovel  to  get 
out  into  daylight.  Joe  attempted  to  go  out  this  morning,  but 
failed.  Our  general  passage-way  is  in  a  most  filthy  condition. 
Joe  came  back  into  the  hut  very  indignant,  saying,  'They  talk 
about  Esquimaux  being  dirty  and  slinking,  but  sailors  are  worse 
than  Esquimaux.'     His  indignation  was  not  without  reason. 

"  It  is  evening  once  more,  after  a  long  and  dreary  day,  blow- 
ing and  drifting  so  one  could  not  get  out  to  exercise;  and  the 
only  space  in  our  little  hut  in  which  one  can  turn  round  is  just 
about  three  feet  square  !  Time  hangs  heavy — hungr}^,  cold,  and 
dirty;  and  the  last  is  the  worst.     I,  at  least,  feel  it  wretchedly. 

"If  a  man  ever  suffered  on  earth  the  torments  of  wretched 
souls  condemned  to  the  '  ice-hell'  of  the  great  Italian  poet,  Dante, 
I  think  I  have  felt  it  here.  Not  a  countryman  of  my  ow^n  on 
the  ice — all  foreigners.  Not  one  to  talk  to  or  counsel  with;  a 
load  of  responsibility,  with  an  utterly  undisciplined  set  of  men; 
impossible  to  get  an  order  obeyed  or  to  have  an}^  thing  preserved 
which  it  is  possible  for  them  to  destr  jy.  They  take  and  do  what 
they  please. 


i* 


CAl'TAIN  HALLS  UiFLE.  279 


CnAPTER  XXTIT. 

I'atdiing  up  Cloth'-s. — ra])t:iiii  Hall'-  Uitic. — Cutting  Fresh-water  Ice  for  Drink. — 
Salt-nali'r  Ice  to  si'asoii  Smi]i. — I-Dur  iiioiitlis'  Dirt.  —  Sun  Revelations. — "You  are 
notliiiij;  liut  Hone." — 'J'liat  chronic  Snow-drift.— Seal-tiijiiicr  for  Linicli. — Watch- 
ing a  Seal-hole. — Eatin;^  his  '•, Jacket." — Dovekies. — The  Solace  of  a  Smoke. — 
Native  Mode  of  cleansing  Cooking  Utensils. — The  West  (oast  in  Sight. —Joe's 
Valuation  of  Seals. — rri^sjiects  dark  and  gloomy. — liill  fal's  Overboard. — Death 
to  the  Front.  —  I'-vidences  of  Weakness. — The  Natives  alarmed.  —  Washington's 
Hirtlul.iy. — A  novel  Sledge. — The  "right  Way  of  i lie  Hair." — Discu.ssions  about 
reaching  Shore. 

"  I  WAS  preparing  myself  for  hunting,  patcliing  up  my  old  thin 
elothcs  as  well  as  I  could,  llans  bad  a  very  nice  rifle,  which  he 
did  not  use,  preferring  his  old  Danish  rille.  Joe  has  one  of  the 
same  make.  One  of  these  rifles  belonged  to  Captain  Hall,  the 
other  to  Dr.  Bessel.  On  the  death  of  Captain  Hall  nearly  all  of 
his  things  went  to  destruction.  His  rifle  is  the  one  Hans  had. 
[  charged  him  to  keep  it  safe  until  such  time  as  I  could  use  it. 
On  inquiring  for  it  now,  I  fnid  one  of  the  men  has  it,  and  it  is 
broken.  It  could  be  used  notwithstanding,  but  he  refuses  to  give 
it  up.  They  took  possession  of  every  thing  from  the  first,  and 
are  very  insolent  and  do  as  they  please ;  and  as  I  am  entirely 
alone,  I  seen  no  way  to  enforce  obedience  without  shedding  blood; 
and  should  I  do  that  and  live,  it  is  easy  to  see  my  life  would  be 
sworn  away  should  we  ever  gc*  home.  These  wretched  men  will 
bring  ruin  on  themselves  and  the  whole  party  yet,  I  fear. 

'■'■Fth.  18.  Clear  and  cold  in  the  morning;  before  3  p.m.  it  was 
blowing  a  gale  once  more  from  the  north-west,  accompanied  b}- 
the  usual  snow-drift.  Perhaps  Providence  is  showering  this  snow 
ii]-)on  us  with  mighty  winds,  to  prevent  these  foolish  men  going 
off  to  court  their  ov;n  destruction.  Fortunately,  this  morning, 
while  it  was  calm,  I  laid  in  a  store  of  both  fresh  and  salt  wa- 
ter ice  which  can  be  got  from  different  parts  of  the  floe.  The 
fresh  has  to  be  cut  from  the  ponds  which  formed  during  the 
summer  bv  the  rain  and  ice  meltinj?  from  the  hisjh  hills  and  hum- 
mocks  and  running  into  these  depressions.  The  salt  ice  we  melt 
to  season  our  'soup,'  or  'tea,'  and  the  fresh  to  drink  as  water. 


2bO  ARCTIC  expekip:nces. 

"Joe  and  Ilans  arc  still  out.  I  wish  they  would  return,  for 
the  drift  is  so  thick  I  fear  they  will  lose  their  way. 

"  February  thus  far  has  been  a  wTctched  month — rrale  upon 
gale;  and,  in  consequence,  we  mus't,be  southing  fast.  It  was  22° 
this  morning,  but  inclined  up. 

"4  P.M.  Joe  and  Hans  returned  safe;  had  found  no  water,  but 
had  seen  many  narwhals  in  the  young  ice;  but  had  no  opportu- 
nity to  shoot,  as  they  could  not  get  near  enough,  the  ice  being 
loo  weak  to  bear  them. 

"Ff^i.  14.  The  snow-drift  and  gale  not  quite  so  bad  as  yester- 
day. The  natives,  being  well  clad,  do  not  mind  the  weather,  and, 
as  we  are  entirely  out  of  seal-meat,  they  have  started  out,  despite 
the  drift.  We  have  part  of  a  skin  left,  which  will  serve  for  lunch. 
Oh,  the  fdth,  the  utter  filth  one  is  compelled  to  eat  in  order  to 
appease  the  fierce  hunger,  and  to  secure  a  b'ttle  life  and  warmth 
to  the  body!  To-morrow  night  it  will  he  foirr  months  smce  we 
were  set  adrift  on  this  ice.  It  is  a  long  time  to  be  starving  and 
suffer  as  we  do,  and  3'et  there  is  no  prospect  of  escaping  for  a 
long  time  to  come.  There  is  only  one  month's  provisions  left 
at  our  present  rate  of  consumption  ;  but  we  could  very  easily  eat 
it  all  in  eight  da3-s,  and  not  have  too  much — not  have  enough. 

"Joe  took  his  narwdial  line  and  spear  to-day.  If  the  wind  was 
not  so  strong,  I  would  have  gone  with  him;  but  through  my 
clothing,  or  any  kind  of  civilized  clothing,  this  wind  would  cut 
like  a  knife  throu<ih  tender  meat. 

'•  12  M.  The  sun  is  shining  through  our  little  ice-"window,  made 
from  fresh -water  ice.  It  is  about  twenty  by  twenty -six  inches 
in  length  and  breadth.  It  is  the  first  day  that  the  sun  has  reiched 
and  penetrated  our  little  hut;  but  there  is  no  blessing  without  its 
drawback ;  though  the  sun  is  so  welcome,  it  reveals  too  plainly 
our  filthy  condition,  I  thought  I  knew  the  worst  before,  but  the 
searching  sun  has  made  new  revelations. 

"The  men  are  actuall}^  infected  with  the  spring-fever,  and  are 
cleaning  house.  1  should  think  a  good  cart-load  of  black,  smoky 
ice  was  taken  from  their  hut  to-day.  This  morning,  too,  Puney 
seemed  to  be  enlio-htened  by  the  sun.  She  sat  lookinsf  at  me  for 
.some  time,  and  then  gravely  remarked,  ^You  are  nothing  hut  honeP 
And,  indeed,  I  am  not  much  else. 

"4  P.M.  That  same  chronic  snow-drift  has  re-appeared  wnth  a 
strong  breeze.     I  varied  my  lunch  to-day,  by  compulsion,  with 


SKAL-FLIlTEll  FOR  LUNCir.  281 

a  few  dirty  scrnps  of  nTiise  blubber  from  the  oil-lnmp.  At  six 
o'clock  I  vras  cheered  by  the  sight  of  Joe  and  Hans  bringing 
along  one  seal.  Joe  had  shot  two  narwhals,  but,  as  usual,  both 
sunk.  They  seem  principally  serviceable  in  carrying  off  our  am- 
munition. I  had  some  frozen  seal  to-night,  and,  the  weather 
moderating,  I  feel  more  like  a  normal  human  being.  Foxes,  too, 
have  re-a})peared ;  three  were  seen  to-day.  We  have  not  seen 
any  before  for  a  long  time. 

"/IZ*.  15.  Snow  and  blow,  blow  and  snow,  that  is  the  order 
again  to-day.  I  was  so  fully  determined  to  go  with  the  natives 
on  their  hunts  by  the  middle  of  February,  that  I  started  despite 
the  drift  this  mornins:;  but  the  wind,  shortlv  after  increasing, 
went  throuuh  mv  clothing  as  if  it  had  been  jzossamer,  and  struck 
to  the  very  marrow,  if  there  is  any  in  my  bones,  which  I  doubt. 
My  apparel  is  too  poor  and  thin,  and  full  of  holes.  I  must  try 
and  patch  up  again  this  evening;  for  I  was  soon  compelled  to 
I'eturn  this  morning.  While  I  was  out  I  saw  no  opportunity 
of  shooting  either  seals  or  narwhal.  The  young  ice  had  formed 
through  the  night,  but  too  weak  for  walking  on ;  but  I  saw  plen- 
ty of  the  narwhals,  and  one  or  two  seals.  After  I  returned  Joe 
and  Hans  went  on,  but  they  got  nothing;  shot  at  narwhals  with 
the  usual  result — a  loss  to  our  powder  and  shot.  Joe  got  adrift, 
too,  on  the  young  ice,  and  was  very  near  spending  a  night  out, 
but  toward  evening  succeeded  in  reiraining  our  floe.  The  wind 
subsided  in  the  cvenino-. 

^'Fth.  1().  Same  sort  of  weather.  Very  little  water  to  be  seen. 
Yesterday  I  ate  neither  bread  nor  pemmican.  I  dare  not  eat  it 
now  every  day,  if  there  is  a  morsel  of  any  thing  else  to  substi- 
tute. For  breakfast  this  morning  I  had  a  little  pemmienn  tea, 
with  a  strip  of  frozen  entrails  and  a  few  mouthfuls  of  blubber. 
We  have  a  seal-flipper  in  reserve  for  lunch. 

"  I  can  not  resist  sometimes  giving  poor  little  Puney  a  part  of 
my  scanty  rations. 

"I  have  been  cleaning  house  again  this  morning,  shaking  car- 
pet, and  bringing  ice  to  cook  with:  the  most  of  such  work  I  do 
m.vself.  It  is  here  the  same  as  on  board  the  Polaris — one  man 
is  as  good  as  another,  and  a  little  better!  I  got  through  my 
house-work  about  10  a.m.  The  wind  was  quite  moderate,  so  I 
started  with  my  rifle  (I  had  at  last  obtained  the  loan  of  one),  to 
see  if  I  could  get  a  seal.     Saw  signs  of  water  to  the  north-west 


282  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

about  two  miles  distant.  On  getting  there,  found  it  a  very  fine 
place  for  shooting,  providing  there  had  been  anv  thing  to  shoot. 
Staid  two  hours,  and  saw  two  or  three  narwhals,  but  at  too  long 
a  distance  off",  and  then  the  wind  came  on  again  and  drove  nie 
home. 

'■  On  arriving  at  our  hut,  found  Hannah  had  lunch  ready — a 
piece  of  seal-flipper,  and,  what  refreshed  ine  very  much,  a  pot  of 
seal-blood  soup.     It  was  quite  a  heavy  lunch. 

"The  natives  came  in  at  dark;  they  had  not  had  any  better 
luck  than  I ;  had  seen  the  narwhals  and  a  few  seals,  but  had  not 
<jjot  anv  thincf. 

^'' Ft'b.  17.  Joe  and  Hans  and  m^'self  got  oft'  at  sunrise  this 
rnornin2;;  very  little  water  to  be  found.  Thermometer  at  20° 
below  zero,  but,  not  being  so  windy,  I  stood  it  better. 

"  While  I  was  watching  a  narwhal-hole  this  morning,  one  came 
along;  but  there  was  no  chance  to  shoot  with  any  prospect  of 
killing  him,  so  I  saved  my  ammunitioii.  Hans  was  more  fortu- 
nate. A  seal  came  to  his  water- hole,  and  lie  firing,  the  seal 
quickly  lay  dead,  floating  upon  the  cold  water.  We  soon  had 
him  out,  and  now  he  is  skinned  and  dressed  up.  He  is  quite  a 
small  fellow,  as  all  the  seals  we  get  are.  But  he  will  make  a 
meal,  eating  him  'jacket'  and  all.  Joe  missed  two  seals  to-day. 
I  had  his  favorite  rifle,  he  taking  another;  and  to  this  I  attribute 
his  failure.  There  were  only  four  seals  seen  to-day.  At  the 
best,  in  this  weather  it  is  haid  v^ork  to  stand  hour  after  hour, 
scarcely  moving,  watching  an  uninteresting  orifice  in  the  ice: 
and  with  the  temperature  from  20^  to  30°  below  zero  it  is  scarce- 
ly endurable,  clad  as  I  am.  I  have  passed  twelve  winters  in  the 
Arctic  regions,  and  I  have  been  considered  'tough,'*  but  if  we 
were  not  in  danger  of  starving,  I  would  rot  stay  outside,  in  my 
present  habiliments,  when  there  is  a  strong  wind,  a  moment. 

"  Joe  shot  a  dovekie,  and  one  of  the  men  shot  tv/o  of  them. 
These  little  speckled  birds  only  weigli  about  four  ounces;  thej' 
have  a  very  plaintive  cry,  and,  as  they  paddle  about  in  the  icy 
water,  do  certainly  look  more  'forlorn,'  as  Dr.  Hayes  says,  than 
the  strong  and  voracious  gulls  or  the  comfortable  eider-ducks; 
but  we  are  not  in  a  position  to  indulge  the  pathos  of  sentiment, 
like  Dr.  Hayes,  who,  if  I  remember  rightly,  was  so  impressed  by 

*  See  Captain  White's  letter  in  Appendix. 


THE  SOLACE  OF  A  SMOKE.  283 

this  friendless  appearance  tluit  he  dcchned  to  make  a  'specimen' 
of  one,  though  lie-sirinf?  it  srrtatlv.  In  fact,  I  beheve  we  are  be- 
ginning  to  look  upon  all  living  things,  without  a  thought  of 
science,  only  as  so  much  life-sustaining  matter. 

^^Feb.  IS.  The  monotonous  western  gale  and  snow-drift.  There 
will  be  no  success  in  hunting,  I  fear,  to-day,  unless  the  gale  abates. 

"2  P.M.  Gale  still  blowing,  but  Joe  has  been  off  since  11  a.m., 
hoping  to  find  more  dov'ckies,  or  a  seal,  but  it  is  very  unpromis- 
ing weather  for  either.  Hannah,  Puney,  and  I  have  just  had 
our  lunch  of  seal-skin,  and  there  is  a  piece  over  the  lamp  for  Joe 
when  he  returns. 

"  Sitting  in  the  hut  (though  less  dangerous  to  health  and  life, 
than  exposure  to  the  sharp  winds  in  a  cotton  jumper),  knocking 
my  feet  together  to  get  a  little  heat  into  them,  is  far  more  weari- 
some than  hard  work  outside.  If  I  had  clothinc:  like  Joe,  I  think 
[  could  stand  it  about  as  well  as  he.  Could  I  have  foreseen  the 
soit  of  voyage  I  was  to  make,  I  would  have  looked  out  and  had 
at  least  two  things,  a  warm  suit  of  clothes,  and  a  rifle  I  could 
call '  my  own.' 

*'  I  have  about  three  pipes  more  of  tobacco.  "When  that  is 
gone,  I  shall  feel  more  lonesome  still.  It  is  the  only  companion  1 
have;  and  I  think  the  most  fastidious  ladv  or  the  most  inveterate 
'anti-tobacconist'  would  hardlj^  object  to  smoking  on  an  ice-floe. 
At  any  rate,  I  am  not  afraid  of  discoloring  our  curtains:  it  would 
be  hard  to  tell  what  color  our  canvas  hangings  are  bv  this  time. 

"At  4  P.M.  Joe  returned  ;  saw  nothing  but  one  narwhal,  thousrh 
he  found  considerable  water  on  the  north-east  side  of  our  floe. 

"6  p.m.  Have  just  had  some  pemmican  tea.  In  the  act  of 
drinking  it,  my  lips  came  in  contact  with  something  which  I 
knew  did  not  belong  to  it,  as  the  pemmican  dissolves  when  warm- 
ed. It  was  not  bread,  for  it  felt  long  and  slender ;  I  examined 
it,  and  ibund  it  to  be  an  innocent  piece  of  seal's  entrails,  which 
had  doubtless  remained  in  the  uncleansed  pan.  Put  it  in  m}^ 
mouth  again,  from  whence  it  descended  of  course  to  mv  stomach. 
Nothing  is  icasted  hy  me!  Hannah  had  cooked  some  seal-meat 
for  breakfast,  the  entrails  with  the  meat,  and  had  neglected  the 
usual  cleaning.  Do  not  imagine  that  our  pan  is  ever  washed. 
It  is  cleansed  as  well  as  ma^^  be  with  the  Jiugers,  and  I  doubt 
not  sometimes  with  the  tongue,  for  that  is  the  true  Esquimaux 
fashion.     But  I  can  not  allow  myself  to  dwell  on  this  subject. 


284  AliCTIC  KXl'KHIKXCKS. 

'■'■Fch.  19.  Clear  and  cold  at  «>  a.m.  The  icest  comt  in  sijlt!  I 
think  it  to  be  in  the  vicinity  of  Caj)e  Seward,  and  distant  thirty- 
eight  or  forty  miles.  If  the  ice  were  in  condition  to-day,  I  would 
try  to  reach  the  t^hore.  In  this  latitude  I  could  find  Esquimaux, 
and  we  could  live  ns  they  do  until  June;  then  we  could  .jret  to 
Pond  Bay,  and  find  Engli.sh  whalemen.  But  these  aK'  castles  in 
tlic  air;  the  state  of  the  ice  forbids  the  attempt.  We  must  bide 
our  time. 

"It  has  been  a  fine,  pleasant  day.  Joe,  Hans,  and  myself  off 
at  sunrise  to  hunt  for  seals.  They  were  very  scarce  ;  saw  only 
one  to-day,  and  Joe  shot  him,  and  he  is  no-"  divided  into  eight- 
een portions.  It  is  a  small  seal,  but  we  shall  try  to  make  a  meal 
of  him  for  all  hands;  each  person  having  with  his  share  one- 
tenth  of  a  pound  of  bread.  This  seal  the  men  took  possession  of, 
in  one  of  their  freaks,  skinned,  and  divided  it  as  they  pleased. 
Joe  was  very  angry,  which  was  no  wonder;  he  and  Hans  do  all 
the  traveling  and  labor,  and  drag  the  seals  home,  and  -t  is  natu- 
ral that  they  should  be  provoked  to  have  it  seized  upon  in  this 
way.  The  men  are  seldom  out  of  their  huts,  or  off  their  beds 
before  eleven  or  twelve  o'clock.  Joe,  Hannah,  and  myself  break- 
fast about  day-break,  and  have  but  one  meal  in  the  day  besides 
that.  Joe  and  Hans  are  exposed  many  hours  every  day  to  the 
wind  and  cold,  and  it  comes  very  hard  that  these  idle  men  should 
take  the  seals  from  them.  Joe  always  expected  me  to  divide  the 
rations,  and  he  is  willing  for  the  men  to  have  their  share  of  what- 
ever he  brings  in;  but  he  don't  like  this  way  of  theirs.  AVhcn 
they  take  it  into  their  heads  to  do  the  cutting  up,  they  never  say 
to  him  or  to  me,  'Can  I  do  it?'  or  'Shall  I  do  it'?'  but  just  lay 
violen  ;  hands  on  it.  Joe  says,  'I  think  they  ought  to  be  made 
to  pay  a  hundred  dollars  apiece  for  each  .^^eal  they  have  taken 
from  me,  for  their  bad  conduct.'  If  seals  were  to  be  had  for  the 
buying,  /  would  gladly  give  a  hundred  dollars  apiece  for  them; 
but  money,  if  we  had  it,  would  briy  notliing  in  the  ice-pack. 
Thermometer  to-day  at  6  a.m.  —25°;  later,  —14°. 

'yFeb.^O.  Cloudy;  light  south-east  wind;  —4"  to  —11^  It  is 
cpiite  warm,  and  evidently  plenty  of  water,  Joe,  Ilans,  and  my- 
self off  early  to  the  openings,  looking  for  seals.  Saw  no  nar- 
whals to-day :  and  neither  Joe  nor  I  saw  any  seals.  Hans  says 
he  saw  three.  Shot  eleven  dovekies.  It  is  dreadftil  to  thiidc 
that  trr.rne  is  so  scarce ;  winter  not  over  vet,  and  onlv  two  bans  of 


I'UOSl'KCTS  DAIIK  AM)  GLOO.MV.  2So 

bre;ul  and  tlireo  cans  of  {)emniican  Jef't,  and  no  hope  of  an  early 
escape.  It  may  prove  to  be  Juiic  or  July  before  we  are  relieved 
from  this  isolated  and  dangerous  position,  it  depends  on  the 
weather,  which  varies  very  much  in  dill'erent  seasons. 

"It  is  snowinijf  auain  this  evenincr.  I  feel  more  than  iisuallv 
weak,  and,  as  a  natural  consequence,  somewhat  desponding.  The 
boat  is  undergoing  repairs,  and  will  soon  be  ready,  shoidd  a  ta- 
vorable  change  occur;  but  I  do  not  look  for  anv  chaniie  for  a 
lonu:  time  to  come,  uidess  it  is  the  change  of  absolute  starvation, 
which  will  soon  be  on  us  unless  game  of  some  sort  appears  more 
abundantly. 

"/17>.  21.  The  thermometer  to-day,  for  the  Srst  time  since  we 
have  been  on  the  ice,  stands  above  zero.  I  read,  to  my  astonish- 
ment, -f-  3°  at  6  A.M.  At  that  hour  the  natives  and  myself  started 
on  our  usual  tram[>,  in  hopes  of  getting  some  fresh  Ibod :  but  we 
had  no  succes.s.  I  saw  one  seal  and  two  narwhals  in  the  course 
of  the  day,  but  neither  of  them  where  they  could  be  reached. 
We  know  that  food  is  undei'  and  around  us,  but  day  after  day 
passes  and  the  j)rey  escapes  us.  On  leturning,  lunched,  or  dined, 
whatever  our  second  meal  may  be  called,  on  a  dovekie  and  piece 
of  blubber.  At  4  r.M.  Joe  and  Ilans  returned  as  light-handetl  as 
they  went.  The  prospect  looks  dark  ar.d  gloomy  —  eighteen  to 
feed,  and  nothing,  as  it  were,  to  feed  upon.  The  little  allowance 
of  pemmican  anil  bread  will  not  keep  the  breath  of  life  in  us 
much  Ion  lie  r,  and  we  have  not  even  a  bit  of  skin  or  entrails  to 
eat.  AVe  have,  and  are  willing  still,  to  eat  such  stulf;  but  we 
can  not  get  even  that. 

"/I/'.  22.  Thermometer  reads  +20°;  cloudy,  with  light  south- 
east wind  —  very  comfortable  weather.  We  were  off,  as  usual, 
this  morning  as  soon  as  it  was  light.  I  have  watched  at  one  seal- 
hole  since  morning,  but  have  seen  no  living  thing.  One  of  the 
men,  Bill,  was  out  to-day,  and  shot  two  dovekies,  and  varied  his 
adventures  bv  ft\lling  overboard.  lie  has  been  out  of  the  hut  so 
little,  he  is  not  sure  of  his  feet.  lie  could  not  sw-im,  but  some- 
how manafred  to  ffet  on  to  the  floe  again. 

"Our  situation  is  getting  desperate — plenty  of  ammunition, 
but  no  game.  Every  thing  is  now  ready  to  push  for  the  shore, 
but  how  to  get  there  I  know  not ;  there  seems  no  feasible  way 
either  by  boat  or  foot.  The  ice  is  in  such  a  fearfully  rough  con- 
dition, that  it  could  not  be  traversed  with  even  a  light  back-load ; 


286  AKCriC  EXPERIENCES. 

and  here  we  liave  not  only  our  own  safety  to  consider,  but  women 
and  children  to  be  cured  for.  If  it  was  only  us  men,  we  niii^ht 
risk  more ;  but  I  can  not  advise  a  course  wiilch  would  make  the 
death  of  these  poor  creatures  almost  inevitable. 

'•  The  men  are  fri2:htened ;  thev  seem  to  see  Death  staring  them 
in  the  face  and  savintr,  'In  a  little  while  vou  are  mine.'  Joe  is 
frii-hteiied  too.  lie  I'eels  that  if  be  and  his  familv  were  alone  on 
the  shore,  without  this  company  of  men  to  feed,  he  could  catch 
game  enough  for  his  own  u^e,  until  it  was  more  abundant;  but 
to  catch  a  living  for  eighteen  discourages  him,  and  indeed  it  seems 
impossible,  without  some  great  change  occurs. 

"If  we  had  drifted  toward  the  east,  as  Meyers  thought  we  were 
doing,  I  should  consider  it  far  less  I'isk  to  make  the  shore;  be- 
cause, if  we  once  got  there,  we  should  be  almost  certain  to  get  as- 
sistance from  the  natives,  and  game  is  plenty ;  but  on  this  side 
of  the  strait  it  is  different.  I  know  well  wliat  this  barren  and 
wretched  coast  is  in  winter;  but  to  satisfy  all  parties,  I  think  1 
shall  have  lo  make  the  attempt.  It  is  a  poor  outlook ;  we  shall 
probably  fail,  for  want  of  strength,  in  dragging  the  boat;  and  if 
we  should  even  succeed  in  making  the  shore,  we  should  be  as 
likely  to  starve  there  as  here,  for  it  is  most  emphatically  an  ice- 
bound coast,  drearv  and  devoid  of  life  at  this  time  of  the  vear. 
If  it  was  spring  it  would  be  different. 

''To  show  how  little  strength  the  men  have,  I  will  relate  what 
occurred  this  morning.  Being  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off  from 
the  men's  quarters,  I  had  shot  a  seal ;  and.  as  it  was  in  the  water 
out  of  my  reach,  I  ascended  an  elevated  liummock  with  a  pin- 
nacled top,  and  shouted  out  to  the  men  to  bring  the  kyack. 
Though  weak  in  other  ways,  my  lungs  were  sound,  and  my  voice 
had  not,  I  thiidv,  lost  any  of  its  power.  A  kyack  is  so  light  that 
it  can  easily  be  picked  up  and  held  in  the  hand ;  yet  several  of 
the  men  had  to  take  hold  to  help  bring  the  kyack  to  me,  and 
were  comjiletely  tired  out  and  exhausted  by  the  effort.  This 
seemed  in  a  measure  to  open  their  eyes  as  to  their  unfitness  for 
travel,  and  discouraged  them  about  setting  out.  Once  before  I 
had  seen  three  or  four  of  them  trying  to  move  the  barge  boat, 
and,  though  it  was  then  empty,  they  could  not  stir  it  from  its 
place. 

"Joe  and  Ilans  returned  at  4  p.m.  They  had  seen  one  seal 
and  four  narwhals,  but  got  nothing.      They,  like  the  men,  are 


WASHINGTON'S  HIHTIIDAY.  287 

nnxious  to  start  for  the  ];iiul ;  so  I  shall  eiuloavor  to  clo  so  as  soon 
as  the  wind  abates,  which  is  now  (evening)  increasing  *Vora  the 
south-east. 

"There  is  a  double  game  working  around  me.  I  must  be  on 
the  watch.  It  is  ])lain  to  ine  that  the  Esquimaux  are  anxious  to 
get  on  shore  to  preserve  their  own  lives  from  other  dangers  than 
scarcity  of  game.  I  shall  protect  them  to  the  utmost  extent  of 
my  ability. 

"/tA  22,  Ecriii/it/.  To-day,  all  over  the  United  States,  I  su])- 
pose  there  iiave  been  military  parades  and  rejoicitig,  and  balls 
and  other  festivities  in  the  evening  being  'Washington's  birth- 
day'  anniversary.  We  might  have  raised  a  flag,  had  I  been  in 
.spirits  to  do  so.  But  I  forget ;  there  is  no  one  here  wlio  knows 
or  cares  anv  thintf  about  Washington — foreirrners  all. 

^^Fcb.  23.  This  morning  there  is  a  strong  breeze  fnmi  the  north- 
west; thick  weather  and  snowing.  I  have  just  been  in  the  hut, 
and  had  a  talk  with  the  men.  Thev  have  not  been  inclined  to 
listen  to  me  heretofore,  but  I  hope  they  will  now.  1  have  told 
them  that,  when  the  weather  will  {)erniit,  we  will  start  for  the 
shore,  but  it  would  be  madness  to  do  so  now,  drasofing  boat,  am- 
munition,  and  slee{)ing-'gear.  I  told  Ilerron  that  it  might  be  pos- 
sible to  make  a  light  sleigh  out  of  some  of  the  skins,  and  put  our 
provisions  and  clothing  in  that,  which  would  be  easier  dragged 
than  the  large  boat,  and  that  the  kyack  would  answer  the  pur- 
pose of  ferrying  us  across  the  cracks.  He  knew  that  we  could 
not  get  the  boat  along  ov'er  the  rough  ice  with  the  little  strength 
we  have  left.  But  neither  he  nor  any  of  the  others  seem  to  con- 
sider that  the  women  and  children  could  scarcely  be  cared  for  by 
this  arrangement,  nor  the  great  risk  we  should  all  be  in  by  aban- 
donins;  the  boat.  That  is  our  onlv  anchor  of  salvation  if  the  ice 
should  suddenly  break  up,  wdiich  it  may  do  any  time  under  a 
strong  southerly  gale.  Separated  from  our  boat,  if  we  did  not 
make  the  land  safely,  wo  should  be  at  the  complete  mercy  of 
every  wave  that  rolled. 

"Either  a  bear  or  seal  skin  will  answer  the  purpose  of  a  sledge 
without  any  frame-work  whatever,  if  the  dogs  can  be  tackled  to 
it;  placing  it,  of  course,  the  right  ica>/  of  the  hair,  it  will  run  very 
smoothly  over  ice  or  snow,  better  than  any  runners,  as  long  as 
the  hair  lasts.  I  have  seen  it  done  by  the  natives,  and  have 
tried  it  mvself. 


288  AKCTIC  EXriLltlENCES. 


CHAPTER  XXTV. 

Decide  to  make  tlie  Attemjit. — Foiled  l>y  successive  Snow -storms. — I)own  lo  one 
scant  Meal  a  Day. — Lund  thirty-five  Miles  otl'. — (iod  alone  can  help  us. — ("anary- 
hird  Rations.  —  l?car-tracks. — A  Hird  Sujtjjer. — A  .Mon>tcr  ( )o^'jook. — Six  or  sev- 
en innulreil  rounds  of  tVesh  Meat  I  Thirty  Gallons  of  Oil! — Oojrjook  Sausage. — 
Oar  Huts  reseinhle  Slauj^hter- houses.  —  Hands  and  Faces  smeared  with  Wood. — 
Content  restored. — Taking;  Oi)servations. — Out  of  the  AVeed. — A  Present  from 
Joe. — Heat  of  Fs<|uinuiux  Huts. — Des|)ondin^  'rhouj.;lits.  —  "So  I  sit  and  dream 
of  I'lans  for  Kelease." — Territic  Noises  portend  the  Ineakinj;  up  of  the  Floe.— An 
tnibrf)ken  Sea  <jf  Ice. — Hans  Astray  again. — That  "Oofrjook  Liver." — The  Stew- 
ard convinced. — An  Ice-fpiake  in  the  Nij;ht. — Tlie  Fhje  l)ieaks  twenty  yards  from 
the  Hut. — Floe  shattered  into  hundreds  of  I'ieces. — Sixty  Hours  of  Ice,  Turmoil. 
and  utter  Darkness. — The  "'Floes'"  become  a  '"Paek.'" — Storm  abates. — Quietly 
Drifting. — A  Choice  for  Bradford. — Our  Domain  wearing  away. — Twenty  I'aees 
only  to  the  Water. — Whistling  to  charm  an  Oogjook.— A  Kelapse  into  Barbarism. 

^'Eroiuig.  It  is  at  last  decidtHl  that  when  the  ice  permits  we 
start,  taking  the  boat  with  us.  ^Ye  will  try  to  reach  a  place  call- 
ed by  the  Esquimaux  Shaumeer,  a  little  to  the  nortli  of  Cape 
Mercy,  in  lat.  65°  N.  There  is  game  there,  and  sometimes  Es- 
quimaux. Should  we  start  and  fail  to  get  on  the  land,  we  must, 
of  course,  return  to  the  floe,  and  continue  to  drift;  and  then  we 
shall  probably  have  to  take  our  shot  and  cut  up  all  the  spare 
balls  into  slugs,  shoot  all  the  dovekies  we  can — and  seal,  if  there 
are  any  —  living  as  best  we  may  until  we  drift  to  lat.  62°  or 
68°  N.,  which  will  bring  us  to  March,  when  I  hope  to  find  the 
bladder -nose  seal  on  the  ice.  Mr.  Meyers,  on  this  occasion, 
agreed  with  me  that  it  was  unsafe  to  leave  the  lloe  at  present. 
If  he  had  worked  with  me  from  the  first,  we  should  all  have  been 
better  off.  If  all  fails — well,  we  perish ;  and  there  is  one  man 
up  north  that  can  go  home  rejoicing. 

"The  day  has  been  stormy,  and  the  wind  is  now  north-east, 
and  still  snowing.  I  have  had  the  tent  enlarged,  and  the  ammu- 
nition divided  and  put  into  several  bags  of  ten  or  twelve  pounds 
each,  so  that,  in  case  of  an  accident  to  a  part,  some  may  be  saved. 
It  wnll  be  bread  to  us  very  soon.  We  are  doing  every  thing 
that  we  can  to  prepare  for  our  contemplated  journey.  If  I  start, 
I  shall  do  my  utmost  to  succeed ;   but  we  ail  need  heavier  ra- 


ONK  SfAXT  MKAL  A  DAY.  289 

lions  than  we  can  afTortl  to  use.     It  has  been  warm  to-dav — 
+  2tl^;  but  it  is  growing  coKler,  and  beginning  to  snow. 

''/e/y.  24,  The  deep  (all  of  snow  has  rendered  it  impossible  for 
the  most  fool-liardy  to  think  of  starting  to-day;  so  went  off 
hunting  instead.  About  noon  found  one  little  hole,  and  Joe  shot 
the  one  seal  that  has  been  seen  to-day.  After  a  fall  of  snow  it 
is  very  diflieult  to  find  the  blow -holes  of  the  seals,  especially 
without  a  dog.  They  will  scent  them  when  men  can  not  find 
them.  .The  breathing- holes  are  very  small,  and  scarcely  distin- 
guishable in  the  snow, 

"I  have  had  a  long  talk  with  the  men  again  this  eveninir.  I 
have  explained  to  them  that  I  hope  soon  to  get  to  the  ground  of 
the  bladder-nose  seal,  which  in  March  come  on  to  the  ice,  not  far 
from  where  we  are  now,  to  breed.  This  seal  is  sometimes  called 
the  'hooded,"  or  'bearded,' seal,  I  have  told  them  —  what  the}' 
know  as  well  as  I — how  little  bread  and  pemmican  we  have  left; 
and,  that  we  may  not  find  ourselves  perfectly  destitute,  if  we  are 
a  little  later  than  I  expect  reaching  the  new  sealing-ground,  that 
we  ought  to  live  on  still  less  than  we  have  been  doiiisr.  Il  seem- 
ed  hard  to  ask  them  to  live  on  one  sliort  meal  a  day,  but  they 
have  consented  to  come  down  to  that  allowance.  I  think  the  snow 
to-day  was  a  great  damper  to  them  in  regard  to  our  projected 
journey.  God  knows  we  have  been  living  on  little  enough,  but 
we  must  try  and  have  a  morsel  saved  to  last  until  April. 

"The  land  is  visible  about  thirty-five  or  forty  miles  off.  But 
it  is  simply  impossible,  in  the  condition  of  the  snow  and  ice,  to 
get  even  as  far  as  that,  carrying  sufficient  with  us  to  sustain  the 
company;  and  at  least  three  or  four  of  the  children  must  be  car» 
ried  also,  as  they  are  too  young  to  walk.  The  women,  I  sup- 
pose, could  walk  almost  as  well  as  ihe  men,  if  they  were  not  en- 
cumbered with  these  young  children.  And  without  carrying 
some  night-gear  to  shelter  us,  we  should  freeze.  If  it  was  April, 
I  would  go  for  the  land,  carrying  nothing  but  guns  and  ammu- 
nition. 

^^Fd).  27.  Clear  and  cold.  The  mercury  has  gone  down  again 
to  24°  below  zero.  Such  a  set  of  skeletons  as  w^e  would  have 
had  a  poor  chance  camping  out  such  a  night  without  the  shelter 
of  our  huts.  We  may  be  thankful  for  the  snow  which  prevent- 
ed our  starting,  God  alone  can  help  us.  AYe  seem  placed  where 
we  can  neither  move  one  way  nor  the  other  to  help  ourselves. 

19 


290  ARCTIC   KXI'KKIKNCKS. 

Tht;  wind  is  very  strong,  but  i  went  with  tlie  natives  to  hunt  at 
daylight.  Saw  a  few  seals,  narwhals,  and  tlovekies,  but  the 
young  iee  would  not  allow  us  to  get  near  enough  to  shoot. 

"We  are  now  on  our  allowance  of  one  nifiil  a  day;  and  all 
that  is  allowed  for  the  whole  eoinpany  of  eighteen — for  we  don't 
eount  the  baby  in  the  matter  of  eating — is  five  and  a  half  pounds 
of  bread,  and  four  pounds  of  pemniiean.  Well,  a  man  can  be 
trained  to  live  on  the  rations  of  a  canarv  ;  but  1  do  not  like  the 
training. 

•'/■'A.  28.  Cold,  and  strong  breeze  from  the  north-west;  ther- 
mometer  reads  28"  below  zero,  ajid  I  can  see  no  water  anywhere 
this  morning.  Joe  and  Uans,  however,  thought  they  would  go 
and  look  as  usual. 

"Yesterday  I  forgot  to  mention  that  a  large  bear  had  passed 
close  to  our  liuts,  knocking  down  a  spear  and  gun.  We  can  tell 
the  size  and  weight  of  a  bear  bv  the  tracks  of  his  feet  on  snow: 
they  are  so  heavy  they  sink  deep.  Having  no  dogs  to  give  the 
alarm,  he  escaped  u.s.  A  bear  would  have  been  a  splendid  addi- 
tion to  our  present  limited  allowance.  The  hunters  gladilened 
our  eyes  with  thirty-seven  dovekies.  Vv^'e  take  two  apiece,  and 
having  these,  use  no  bread.  We  cooked  them,  eating  every  thing 
but  the  feathers.     The  children  had  one  dovekie  apiece. 

''March  1.  Clear,  and  very  cold.  Thus  Maich  begins  with 
winter  weather.  We  had  not  been  so  gluttonous  as  to  eat  all 
our  share  of  dovekies  at  once,  and  so  had  part  for  our  breakfast 
this  morning.  We  had  cleaned  the  birds,  and  then  replaced  ev- 
ery thing  but  the  gall,  and  then  w^e  had  the  water  in  which  they 
were  cooked  to  drink.  Joe,  Hans,  I,  and  two  of  the  men  went 
out  with  our  rifles  this  morning.  Altogether  there  were  sixty- 
six  shot.  This  is  a  good  deal  better  than  nothinsr,  for  it  saves 
our  bread,  though  the  flesh  is  not  heat -giving,  like  seal -meat. 
We  all  returned  at  H  p.m.,  glad  that  the  dav  had  brought  us 
something  to  eat.  This  morning  when  we  went  oft"  it  was  34° 
below  zero;  this  evening  it  is  25°  below. 

"J/'orcA  2.  We  were  off  to  the  cracks  again  this  A.M.,  bunting 
for  either  seal  or  dovekies.  The  men  say  after  they  have  had 
their  breakfast  they  will  come  too.  I  shall  try  hard  to  get  a  nar- 
whal— one  narwhal  w^ould  set  us  up  in  meat  for  a  long  time,  com- 
pared with  all  the  dovekies  that  we  can  shoot. 

"5  P.M.  I  did  not  get  my  narwhal,  but  Joe  has  shot  a  monster 


A  MONSTKU  OOGJOOK!  201 

oogjook — a  large  kitul  of  seal — the  largest,  I  have  ever  seen.  It 
took  all  haiuls  to  drag  him  to  the  huts.  Peter  fairly  tlaiicetl  and 
sang  for  joy.  No  one  who  has  not  been  in  a  siinilar  j)osition  to 
ours  can  tell  the  feeling  of  relief  which  his  capture  produced. 
How  we  rejoiced  over  the  death  of  this  oogjook  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  describe.  It  was,  indeed,  a  great  deliverance  to  those 
wlio  had  been  reduced  to  one  meal  of  a  few  ounces  a  day. 

"Hannah  had  buf  two  small  pieces  of  blubber  left,  enough  for 
the  lamp  for  two  days;  the  men  had  but  little,  and  Hans  had 
only  enough  for  one  d:iv.  And  now,  just  on  the  verge  of  abso- 
lute destitution,  comes  -ilong  this  monstrous  oogjook,  the  oidy 
one  of  the  seal  species  seen  to-day ;  and  the  fellow,  1  have  no 
doubt,  weighs  six  or  seven  hundred  pounds,  and  will  furnish,  1 
should  think,  thirty  crallons  of  oil.  Trulv  we  are  rich  indeed. 
Praise  the  Loril  for  all  his  mer.ies!  A  few  dovekies  were  also 
shot,  but  the  oogjook  is  the  joy  of  our  eyes ;  and  dovekies,  so 
prized  only  yesterday,  are  scarcely  regarded  to-day, 

"March  3.  We  eat  no  bread  or  pemmican  now — oogjook  is  the 
only  dish  :  and  it  does  me  good  to  see  the  men  able  once  more  to 
satisfy  their  appetites.  And  they  are  bound  to  do  so — they  are 
cooking  and  eating  night  and  day.  We  have  had  oogjook  sau- 
sages for  breakfast,  the  skins  being  stutfod  with  blubber,  and  with 
this  some  of  the  meat  boiled.  Our  'civilized  food,'  as  we  call 
our  bread  and  pemmican,  is  being  kept  for  a  'rainy  day.' 

"The  men,  after  such  long  fasting,  can  not  restrain  their  appe- 
tites, and  some  of  them  have  eaten  until  they  are  sick.  But  one 
can  not  find  fault  with  them,  knowing  that  they  have  been  living 
on  nine  ounces  of  food  a  day.  When  first  killed,  the  warm  blood 
of  the  seal  is  scooped  up  in  tin  cans,  and  is  relished  like  new 
milk.  The  mammary  glands  of  the  female  seal,  especially  when 
distended  with  the  lacteal  fluid,  is  a  very  delicate  morsel.  Our 
glorious  oogjook  proved,  on  measurement,  seven  feet  nine  inches 
in  length  from  head  to  tail,  excluding  the  latter;  adding  the  hind 
flipper,  he  measured  fully  nine  feet.     What  a  godsend! 

"Our  huts  now  look  like  slaughter-houses.  Meat,  blood,  en- 
trails— dirt  all  over  every  thing.  Our  hands  and  faces  are  smear- 
ed with  blood,  and  one  coming  among  us  now  would  take  us  for 
carnivorous  animals  just  let  loose  upon  their  prey.  We  have 
plenty  now  for  a  few  days,  at  least ;  both  oogjook  and  dovekies, 
I  hope,  for  a  week  to  come. 


292  ARCTIC  KXl'KKIENCES. 

"And  yet — and  yet — now  we  have  enough  of  this  for  a  little 
whilf,  we  discover  that  it  is  hard  living — 'nothing  but  meat, 
blubber,  entrails  and  blocxl.'  Like  the  Israelites  witli  their  quail, 
some  murmur  at  the  monotony  of  the  diet.  Well,  it  /s  monoto- 
nous, very  :  but  it  will  give  us  strength.  1  thaidv  (iod  for  it.  A 
few  such  will  .save  this  party,  at  least  from  starving.  The  men 
are  all  feeling  more  contented ;  and  they  see  now  that,  if  they 
had  started  when  they  wished  to  i'or  the  siiore,  they  would  all 
probably  have  perished. 

"We  are  now  approaching  the  Cumberland  Gulf — my  old 
whaling-ground.  Shouhl  the  weather  pn)ve  favorable,  1  shall 
have  no  hesitancy  about  trying  to  get  clear  of  the  iloe;  U)r  there, 
liiiding  ships,  we  should  end  our  misery.  But  should  we  be  tirift- 
ed  past  the  gulf,  why  then  we  can  try  Ilud.son  Strait,  and,  getting 
on  Kesolution  Island,  could  safely  wait  there  for  Hudson  Bay  ves- 
sels or  American  whalers,  who  now  go  there  every  year.  But  of 
course  we  should  be  obliged  to  depend  on  our  rifles  until  succor 
arriv(Ml. 

"The  day  has  passed;  cold,  windy,  and  drifting  snow.  We 
have  dovekies  for  supper  this  evening.  With  two  meals  a  day, 
which  we  have  had  since  the  capture  of  the  oogjook,  it  takes 
sixty-six  dovekies  per  diem  for  the  party — not  very  full  meals, 
about  eight  ounces.  A  well-kept  dog  receives  more,  ana  many 
a  one  would  reject  food  that  I  have  had  to  eat  this  winter. 

"J/'^/r/i  -1.  At  sunrise  mercury  down  to  30°  below  zero. 
Started  on  the  hur)t,  but  fmind  no  water,  and  returned  at  noon. 
Joe  and  Ilans  did  not  come  up  till  -i  p.m.  ;  had  seen  one  seal. 
One  of  the  men  shot  four  dovekies.  It  is  quite  clear  to  the  west- 
ward, but  I  can  see  no  land.  There  is  no  more  thought  nor  talk 
of  the  east  coast;  that  is  seen  to  have  been  all  a  delusion,  in- 
spired by  the  desire  to  have  it  so.  What  some  people  wish  they 
soon  believe. 

"  Meyers,  I  believe,  has  given  up  taking  observations,  his 
countrymen  having  lost  all  confidence  in  him  since  finding  how 
his  prophecies  have  failed.  If  they  had  been  in  this  state  of 
mind  four  months  ago,  we  should  have  had  at  least  one  month's 
more  provisions  on  hand  than  we  have  now. 

^'•March  5.  Wind  from  north-west,  and  cold,  accompanied  by 
the  ever-attendant  snow-drift.  Unless  the  wind  moderates,  there 
can   be  no  hunting  to-day.     Ttie  weather  is  indeed  very  bad, 


rOMKOKT  OF  TctUACCO.  293 


blowing  continually,  and  intensely  cold  at  night — mercury  going 
from  J{a°  to  40°  below  zero,  rising  perhaps  at  noon  to  25°  or  20° 
below.  We  must  be  drifting  southward  very  fast.  I  think  that 
we  are  in  lat.  t)5°  N.  This  wind  continuing  will  soon  carry  us 
to  the  coast  of  Labrador, 

"A  great  many  pei'sons  in  this  world  of  ours  cry  out  against 
the  use  of  tobacco  in  any  form ;  but  should  they  ever  have  oc- 
casion to  live  as  we  do,  which  God  forbid,  they  would  tind  out 
the  comfort  of  it — how  consoling  it  is  to  a  cold  and  hungry  man. 
I  have  been  out  of  the  weed  about  twelve  days,  and  1  feel  the 
deprivation  very  much.  Perhaps  I  may  get  used  to  it — in  fact, 
1  must ;  but  it  is  an  additional  hardship,  not  easy  to  get  recon- 
ciled to.  Had  I  any  thing  pleasant  to  occupy  my  miml,  or  any 
thing  really  to  do — any  active  employment,  which  was  of  any  pos- 
sible use  to  any  body — I  inight  more  easily  forget  it ;  but  when 
the  weather  forbids  hunting,  and  one  must  sit  still  in  a  cold  ice- 
hut  for  twelve  hours  at  a  time,  it  is  an  immense  solace  to  have 
one's  tobacco  hold  out.  If  any  one  don't  believe  this,  let  him  try 
it.  Joe  has  just  given  me  out  of  his  limited  store  two  pipefuls, 
for  which  I  am  truly  grateful.  The  men — the  most  of  them — 
have  got  tobacco  yet, 

"That  happened  in  this  way:  after  we  found  ourselves  left  on 
the  floe,  1  was  looking  in  every  direction  for  some  possible  chance 
of  escape  and  return  to  the  ship,  about  which  several  of  them 
seemed  very  inditferent,  at  the  right  time  to  have  availed  our- 
selves of  the  oj)en  water;  and  while  I  was  thus  on  the  lookout 
for  release,  they  were  looking  out  for  the  contents  of  the  bags 
which  had  been  thrown  on  the  ice.  So,  when  all  hope  of  escape 
from  the  floe  was  lost,  I  looked  round  too,  to  see  what  there  was, 
and  then  found  that  all  the  good  clothing  and  nearly  all  the  to- 
bacco had  disappeared,  and  I  was  left  with  nothing.  All  ni}- 
thinus  were  left  on  board  the  Polaris. 

"  We  are  now  getting  some  meat  ready  for  lunch.  Joe  is 
separating  the  pieces  with  a  hammer,  they  are  frozen  so  hard; 
though  the  pan  in  which  it  was  placed  has  been  setting  within 
one  foot  of  our  lamp-fire  for  the  last  thirty  hours,  which  conveys 
some  idea  of  the  coldness  of  the  hut  in  which  we  are  now  spend- 
insr  our  davs  and  nights.  Our  inside  lining  is  white  with  frost, 
I  have  just  tried  to  eat  a  piece  of  this  frozen  meat,  but  it  was  too 
hard,  and  I  gave  it  up.     I  have  seen  written  descriptions  of  the 


294  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

heat  of  an  Esquimaux  hut,  but  I  have  never  felt  it.  It  keeps  off 
the  wind,  but  it  is  cold — cold.  Ours  is  not  crowded  suiUciently, 
I  suppose,  and  we  have  only  one  lamp  giving  out  a  flame  as  large 
as  an  ordinary  gas-jet. 

^'■Ei-eiiiu'/.  The  gale  has  been  very  severe  through  the  day,  and 
still  continues  to  blow  with  great  violence.  Thermometer  —32°, 
and  the  snow-drift  very  heavy.  We  dined  on  part  of  the  oog- 
jook's  head  this  evening;  it  was  very  tough,  but  with  it  and  the 
addition  of  a  pot  of  blood  we  contented  ourselves, 

"Oh  what  a  wretched  life  to  live!     Sometimes  I  feel  almost 

tempted  to  end  my  misery  at  once,  but  thoughts  of  the  divine 

restriction  hold  me  back.     liad  our  Maker  left  us  free  to  choose 

— had  not 

"  'The  Everlasting fixed  liis  canon 

'Gainst  self-slaugiiter,' 

I  think  there  would  soon  be  one  wretched  being  less  in  this 
world.  God  alone  knows  what  we  suffer ;  no  pen  can  describe 
it — at  least  I  can  not,  but  I  c^\\f<-el  it. 

''■  Marclt  6,  This  gale  has  been  the  most  severe  of  any  that  we 
have  had  while  on  the  ice,  and  it  still  continues.  We  are  agian 
completely  buried  in  the  snow-drift,  and  can  not  get  out  of  the 
outer  passage-way  until  it  abates;  and  then  in  time  we  can  dig 
out  with  our  little  shovel. 

**  Had  it  not  been  for  the  providential  supply  of  that  oogjook, 
we  should  now  be  in  a  still  more  deplorable  condition,  living  on 
a  few  ounces  of  bread  and  pemmican,  without  oil  enough  even  to 
warm  it.  But  the  meat  we  have  left  of  it  yet  wmII  last  us  for 
eight  or  ten  days  to  come,  and  there  is  blubber  for  a  month  ;  and 
by  then  I  hope  to  be  where  tli^jre  are  more  large  seals — in  lat. 
62°  N. 

"  In  March  and  April  these  large  bladder-nose,  or  hooded,  seals 
are  usually  found  in  great  numbers  on  the  ice;  and  if  we  drift 
there  in  the  right  season  for  them,  all  danger  of  starvation  will 
be  at  an  end ;  but  about  that  time  other  dangers  will  assail  us. 
We  can  not  foresee  what  will  occur  when  this  floe  breaks  up :  it 
will  be  miraculous  if  the  whole  of  this  party  can  be  saved  when 
that  happens,  and  come  it  must.  There  is  no  hope  of  escape 
while  these  w-hirling  winds  and  snows  continue,  and  when  they 
cease  a  southerly  gale  may  break  us  up  at  any  time, 

"  We  are  drifting  southward  very  fast,  and  I  am  sincerely  glad 


GODS  WILL  BE  DONE.  295 

of  it,  for  if  we  can  make  the  sliore  at  all,  it  would  oe  much  better 
that  we  do  so  on  the  coast  of  J.abrador.  Could  Wc  even  cfet 
ashore  where  we  are  now,  it  would  be  summer,  or  quite  late  in 
the  spring,  before  we  could  hope  to  get  to  the  whuling-ships — it 
might  even  be  July  or  August.  But  should  we  make  a  rapid 
drift  to  the  coast  of  Labradoi-,  there  would  be  some  hope  of  find- 
ing a  'fishing  station'  by  May,  and  at  any  of  these  we  could  get 
temporary  relief;  and  from  there  we  could  reach  St.  Johns,  and 
thence  easily  get  to  my  own  hajip}''  land. 

"So  I  sit  and  dream  of  modes  of  escape,  and  all  the  minutiae  of 
travel,  and  the  management  of  the  party — if  they  would  consent 
to  be  managed :  thoughts  such  as  these  fill  my  mind.  One  day 
one  mode  seems  feasible  or  possible,  tlien  all  the  difficulties  pre- 
sent themselves  before  me,  and  the  result  looks  disastrous.  Then 
I  turn  over  in.  my  mind  some  other  plan,  and  all  the  while  I  know 
that,  plan  as  wisely  as  I  can.  all  may  come  t<^  naught;  for  we  are 
entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  elements.  A  gale  and  a  heavy  sea 
ma}^  totally  prevent  my  carrying  out  any  one  of  these  schemes 
for  release.  God's  will  be  done.  lie  alone  can  lead  us  out  of 
this  perilous  condition,  and  'set  our  feet  upon  a  rock,' if  be  sees 
fit. 

"  The  day  has  passed,  and  a  bitter  cold  day  it  has  been.  No 
one  has  been  out  but  Joe,  who  cut  his  way  out,  but  was  driven 
back  in  a  few  minutes,  with  a  frozen  face.  The  gale  still  con- 
tinues, though  it  has  somewhat  moderated.  We  are  closely 
housed,  and  the  lamp  burning  continually;  but  all  things  in  the 
hut,  except  the  human  beings,  are  frozen  as  iiard  as  the  ice  we 
are  on.  Many  of  the  Esquimaux  huts  have  two  or  three  large 
lamps,  whicli  combined  give  out^  considerable  heat — very  unlike 
ours. 

"i/arc/i  7.  The  weather  is  better  this  morninsf,  but  there  is  a 
good  strong  breeze  still,  and  some  snow  drifting  yet.  But  the 
sun  is  shining  orightly,  and  I  hope  for  better  weather  before 
night.  It  is  a  relief  to  see  the  sun  once  more,  and  be  able  to  put 
one's  head  out-of-doors.  For  some  days  past,  and  all  last  night, 
the  ice  has  been  cracking  and  snappirig  under  us,  sounding  like 
distant  thunder.  This  betokens  the  breaking  up  of  the  floe;  but 
it  may  freeze  together  again.  It  received  a  severe  shaking  last 
night  several  times.  I  tiiink  the  noise  and  commotion  is  caused 
partly  by  loose  pieces  of  ice  getting  underneath  our  floe,  and  roll- 


296  AUCTIC  EXl'KHIENCES. 

ing  along  until  they  come  to  an  opening,  when  they  eonie  giind- 
ing  up,  and  rise  to  the  surface.  These  noises  startled  me  from 
my  sleep;  several  times  I  thought  our  ice  was  breaking  in  frag- 
ments. I  begin  to  have  some  idea  of  how  people  in  earthquake 
countries  must  feel  when  the  ground  is  trembliiio-  and  shakin<i 
beneath  their  feet,  especially  in  a  dark  night,  when  one  can  not 
see  a  foot  before  him,  and  knows  not  which  way  lies  danger  and 
which  safety — if,  indeed,  there  is  safety  anywhere.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  describe,  so  that,  without  the  actual  experience,  the  sounds 
of  breaking  ice  floes  and  bergs  can  be  realized.  No  two  sounds 
appear  alike,  excejit  the  repetition  of  the  grinding  and  explosive, 
which  are  a  horrid  sort  of  refrain.  But  somewhere  I  have  read 
words  like  these,  which  partially  give  an  idea  of  their  variety  and 
fearful  uess: 

"  '  Hark  I  a  dull  crash,  a  howling,  ravenous  yell. 
Opening  full  syniithonv  of  ghastly  sound  ; 
Jarring,  yet  l)lunt,  as  if  the  dismal  hell 

Lent  its  strange  anguish  from  the  rent  jtrofound. 
Through  all  its  scale  the  horrid  discord  ran : 
Now  mocked  the  beast — now  took  the  groan  of  man.' 

And  even  this  does  not  begin  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  over- 
whelming power  of  these  pushing  and  grinding  masses.  Their 
force  and  human  helplessness  compared,  makes  one  realize  that 
there  are  yet  elements  in  nature  which  man's  ingenuity  can  never 
control. 

"Joe  and  Hans  went  out  to  try  and  find  water,  and  found  one 
little  hole;  but  all  they  shot  was  two  dovekies.  Wind  still 
strong  from  the  north-west;  thermometer  —24°. 

'■•  March  d).  Fair;  light  west  wind.  I  have  roamed  some  ten 
miles  over  the  floe  to-day,  back  and  forth,  in  search  of  water, 
going  in  every  direction,  and  necessarily  retracing  my  steps  many 
times ;  but  I  find  only  a  solid,  unbroken  sea  of  ice — not  one  little 
hole  where  a  seal  might  pop  his  head  up  and  receive  the  wel- 
come of  a  bullet.  Joe  has  also  been  looking,  but  found  none. 
Hans  may  have  been  more  fortunate:  he  has  not  yet  returned, 
and  it  is  5  r.M. 

"Our  cheerful  day  is  short-lived  ;  there  is  another  storm  brew- 
ing; the  sun  looks  pale  and  sick.  It  is  now  near  6  P. if.,  and 
Hans  has  not  returned.  Joe  fears  he  is  lost,  and  is  getting  ready 
to  go  out  and  look  for  him.     This  Hans  is  a  plague. 


ANOTHER  STOUM.  2U7 

"Ilaiis  just  come  in  all  right.  lie  says  he  has  been  a  long 
distance  to  the  north-west,  but  could  lind  no  water;  he  had  shot 
at  one  seal  in  a  crack,  but  lost  him  ;  had  seen  several  others,  but 
got  nothing. 

"J/a/c/i  9.  Cloudy;  latter  part  of  the  day  strong  breeze  from 
the  north-east,  and  snowing.  Joe,  Ilans.  and  myself  went  oft' 
early  looking  for  soinetiiing  to  eat.  I  discovered  a  fresh  bear 
track,  and  followed  it  for  some  distance,  but  did  not  .'■:ee  him;  and 
not  feeling  well  to-day,  I  returned  home.  Our  exclusive  meat 
diet  does  not  agree  with  me.  In  fact,  it  is  surprising  that  any  of 
us  keep  as  well  as  we  do.  Ilans's  little  boy  is  the  only  one  who 
has  been  really  sick  for  any  length  of  time,  though  Meyers  has 
not  been  well ;  he  is  not  down  ^ick.  Now  and  then  one  of  the 
men  will  comnlain,  but  they  soon  get  better. 

••Joe  and  Ilans  returned  at  5  p.m.,  Joe  bi'inging  a  small  seal. 
Water,  I  am  glad  to  state,  is  making  again.  Thermometer  in  the 
morning,  —20^;  at  noon,  11°. 

"J/'.^/r//,  10.  AVe  have  another  storm  on  us.  These  storms 
seem  endless.  Snowing  again,  and  drifting.  There  will  be  no 
hunting  to-day.  Another  long  day  of  misery.  We  have  passed 
through  many  such,  and  I  have  survived  ;  but  I  can  not  reconcile 
myself  to  this  life,  or  this  way  of  living.  Captain  Hall  learned  to 
enjoy  it,  but  I  can  not.  What  tilth  and  dirt  I  am  compelled  to 
eat!  But  if  this  was  necessary  to  accomplish  any  valuable  pur- 
pose, I  could  bear  it  as  well  as  any  one — except,  perhaps.  Captain 
Hall.  Since  it  has  come  light,  I  can  see  it  more  plaiidy,  and  it  is 
horrid!     But  I  must  endure,  and  say  nothing. 

"I  have  a  little  incident  to  note  about  the  oogjook  and  the 
men. 

"  When  this  great  creature  was  shot,  the  men  were,  naturally 
enough,  all  happy,  thinking  of  the  feast  they  were  going  to  enjoy. 
Now,  in  the  common  seal,  as  in  most  animals,  the  liver  is  consid- 
ered a  delicacy,  and  the  men  were  always  anxious  for  their  share ; 
but  I  knew  the  liver  of  the  oogjook,  like  that  of  the  bear,  to  be 
poisonous,  and  told  the  men  they  must  not  eat  it,  and  that  the 
liver  of  the  full-grown  animal,  like  the  one  we  had,  was  espe- 
cially dangerous.  What  they  thought  I  don't  know  ;  perhaps 
they  suspected  it  was  a  rare  tidbit,  which  they  were  being  de- 
prived of — many  sailors  have  that  sort  of  chronic  jealousy.  But 
perhaps  it  will  be  better  to  give  the  conversation  about  it,  as 


298  AlUTK"  EXl'KKIKNCES. 

it  occurred.  It  will  ohow  what  sort  of  persons  I  have  to  ileal 
with. 

"  '  Yon  must  not  eat  the  liver,  steward.' 

'•'Why?' 

"  'Because  it  is  poisonous.' 

'• '  Oh,  d — n  the  odds  ;  we'll  eat  it,  w^on't  we,  Fred  ?' 

"  'Well,  you  can  do  as  you  please.  I  give  you  liiir  warning 
that  it  will  make  you  sick.' 

"They  took  the  liver,  thinking,  no  doubt,  that  they  had  de- 
prived our  hut  of  a  great  luxury,  and  I  heard  nothing  concern- 
ing it  for  some  time.  It  had  been  stormy,  and  it  was  no  uncom- 
mon thing  for  the  men  to  keep  within  their  hut.  Not  a  word 
about  the  liver  until  yesterday,  when  the  steward  came  in  to  see 
me.  We  have  none  of  us  washed  while  on  the  ice,  and  of  course 
we  are  all  very  dirty  ;  but  1  saw,  through  the  dirt  of  five  months' 
accumulation,  that  the  steward  looked  sick,  and  I  saw  some  i)e- 
culiar  white  spots  on  his  face;  so  I  asked, 

"  '  What  is  the  matter,  steward  ?' 

"  'Oh,  captain,  that  oogjook  liver  played  the  d — 1  with  me.' 

'* '  Well,  you  know  I  told  you  not  to  eat  it.' 

"'That's  so;  and  I'll  bet  I  eat  no  more  of  it,  or  bear's  liver 
either,  unless — yes,  we  might  get  a  youmj  bear,  and  then,  perhaps, 
the  liver  would  be  good ;  but  no,  I'll  be  d — d  if  I  trust  it.  No 
more  liver  for  me.' 

"Finall}^  I  found  out  that  they  had  eaten  that  oogjook's  liver 
a  week  ago,  and  that  the  most  of  them  have  been  sick  ever  since ; 
but  the  only  one  to  acknowledge  that  the  liver  was  the  cause  of 
the  sickness  was  Ilerron.  Yet  the  skin  is  all  coming  off  their 
faces,  hands,  and  breasts. 

"J/arc/;  11.  Last  night  was  one  of  great  anxiety.  The  gale 
raged  fiercely  through  the  day ;  about  5  P.M.  the  ice  began  a 
great  uproar;  our  heavy  floe  commenced  woiking,  cracking,  with 
a  constant  succession  of  dismal  noises,  mingled  with  sharp  reports 
and  resounding  concussions,  and  these  noises  seemed  to  have  their 
centre  immediately  under  our  huts.  These  sounds  commingling 
with  the  raging  storm,  the  crushing  and  grinding  resulting  from 
the  heavy  pressure  of  the  bergs,  and  heavy  ice  around  us,  gave 
us  good  reason  for  alarm.  Blowing  a  gale,  with  a  thick  swirl  of 
snow  so  that  one  could  scarcely  see  their  hand  before  them,  and 
knowing  not  but  each  succeeding  moment  would  bring  our  snow 


AN  ICK-QUAKE  IN  TIIK  NIGHT.  gQl 

tcncrnonts  tumbling  about  our  oars,  we  liatl  <r<)l  cvorv  tiling  ready 
to  eatch  ami  run — but  where  to?     That  was  the  question. 

"About  nine  o'clock,  hearing  a  heavy  explosive,  and  then 
grinding  sound,  Joe  and  I  felt  our  way  down  in  the  darkness 
some  twenty  yards  from  the  entrance  to  the  hut,  and  there  found 
the  floe  had  broken.  The  sides  of  the  severed  pieces  swaying  back 
and  forth,  then  rushing  upon  each  other  ami  grinding  their  sides 
with  all  the  f(jree  which  the  sea  and  the  irale  could  uive  them, 
caused  the  alarming  noises  I  had  iieard.  We  crept  back  and 
watched  through  the  night,  but  nothing  more  serious  occurred. 

"The  gale  still  blows  this  morning,  and  there  is  some  sea  un- 
der the  ice.  Should  the  ice  break  up  still  farther,  and  should  we 
be  obliged  to  abiindon  our  little  snow -burrows,  or  be  actually 
turned  out  of  them  by  farther  disruption,  it  would  be  hard  upon 
the  party,  with  such  weather  prevailing.  But  a  kind  and  merci- 
ful God  has  thus  far  guided  and  protected  us,  and  will,  1  trust, 
yet  deliver  us. 

^'■MarcJi  12.  Another  twenty-four  hours  of  care,  watching,  anx- 
iety, and  great  peril.  The  gale  has  been  terrible.  Yesterday 
evening,  our  large  floe-piece,  on  which  we  have  lived  all  winter, 
was  suddenly  shattered  into  hundreds  of  pieces,  leaving  us  on  a 
piece  about  seventy-five  by  one  hundred  yards.  We  passed  a 
dreadful  night,  expecting  every  moment  that  our  little  piece 
would  follow  tiic  fate  of  the  larger,  and  be  broken  into  yet 
smaller  fragments.     But,  thank  God,  it  still  holds  together. 

•'  When  I  selected  the  place  for  erecting  the  huts,  I  picked  out 
what  seemed  to  be  the  thickest  and  most  solid  spot,  which  was 
not  far  from  the  centre;  and  if  it  is  thick  enough,  it  may  be  able 
to  endure  the  shock  of  riding  amonu"  these  loosened  bersrs  and 
other  frngments,  without  further  disruption;  but  it  is  all  uncer- 
tain ;  and  1  almost  fear  it  can  not  hold  together,  after  the  heavv 
thumping  it  has  already  received,  and  which  it  still  must  bear 
with  such  a  heavy  sea  as  is  now  running.  Most  fortunately,  our 
boat  remains  uninjured. 

'•The  morning  of  the  12th  came  at  last,  and  with  it  the  wind 
moderated.  For  sixty  hours,  amidst  this  fearful  turmoil  of  the 
elements,  with  our  foundations  breaking  up  beneath  our  feet,  we 
could  not  see  ten  yards  around  us.  But  at  last  the  wind  has 
abated,  the  snow  has  ceased  to  fall,  and  the  terrible  drift  stop- 
ped.    W'e  can  now  look  around  and  see  the  position  we  are  in. 


302  AKCIIC  l.XI'KHIKXCES. 

Ill  a  vessel,  after  sueli  a  storm  as  this,  tlie  first  work,  with  re- 
turning liglit,  would  be  to  clear  the  decks  and  set  about  repair 
iug  damages.     Hut  \u)\v  shall  we  rcj-air  our  shattered  ice-cratt? 
We  can  look  around  and  take  account  of  loss  and  damage,  but 
can  do  nothing  toward  making  it  more  sea-worthy. 

*' We  see  a  great  change  in  the  condition  of  the  ice  ;  the  'floes' 
have  become  a  '  })ack,'  and  great  blocks  of  ice,  of  all  sizes  and 
shapes,  are  piled  and  jammed  together  in  every  imaginable  posi- 
tion. On  my  last  extended  walk  before  this  storm,  the  iloes  had 
appeared  to  extend  for  many  miles ;  they  are  now  all  broken 
up  like  ours,  and  the  pieces  heaped  over  each  other  in  most  ad- 
mired disorder. 

"  Willi  the  reii.rn  of  moderate  weather  we  recommenced 
shooting.  Seals  are  scarce,  but,  there  being  open  water  around 
us  and  between  the  cracks,  we  can  now  shoot  all  we  see.  To- 
day Joe  shot  two,  Ilans  one,  and  I  one.  So  we  iiavc  four  seals 
this  evening. 

'^MarvJi  13.  It  is  again  blowing  strong  from  the  north-east. 
The  weather  is  much  warmer,  and  I  hope  the  winter  is  broken. 
\[r.  Meyers  took  an  observation  yesterday,  and  makes  the  lati- 
tude iSA°  32',  which  would  place  us  directly  east  of  Cumberland 
Gulf.  I  have  no  sextant,  and  no  means  of  accurately  a.scertain- 
ing  our  position. 

"Our  redaeed  piece  of  ice  is  now  quietly  drifting  along,  and 
we  feel  safer:  we  are  surrounded  by  icebergs  which  have  drift- 
ed with  us  all  winter.  If  Bradford  was  here  now,  he  might  have 
his  choice  of  bergs  to  paint.  I  know  well  I  am  not  in  a  condi- 
tion of  mind  or  body  to  appreciate  the  scene  surrounding  us  to- 
day; but  I  realize,  nevertheless,  that  an  artist  would,  provided 
he  was  on  board  of  some  safer  craft  than  this  self-navigated  frag- 
ment of  floe. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  exciting  and  dangerous  events  which 
we  have  just  passed  through,  we  are  all  well — which  I  consider 
really  astonishing.  Even  Ileus's  little  bo}'',  Tobias,  is  around 
again. 

''March  14.  Yesterday  and  last  night  it  was  blowing  heavy 
from  the  north  again  ;  this  morning  it  suddenly  ceased,  and  the 
day  has  been  fine,  with  a  light  south  wind.  Joe  and  myself  were 
out  looking  for  seals  before  any  one  else  was  up.  But  our  do- 
main is  wearing  away  at  the  edges.     We  can  stand  in  our  own 


HKLAl'SINd  INTO  HAKHARrsM.  303 

hut  iloor  and  slioot  seals  now,  for  our  piece  is  so  reduced  that  it 
is  oulv  tvveiitv  paces  to  the  water! 

"Soon  at'tor  suuriso  1  e.->i>ietl  a  large  oogjook.  Joe  was  at  a 
distance;  and  not  having  had  so  much  practice  as  he,  and  fear- 
ing I  might  not  kill  it  witli  my  inffrior  rith',  I  bockoiKHl  to  .J;)e 
to  come  along  with  his  '  Springtield.'  In  the  mean  time,  to  keep 
the  creature  from  slipping  away,  I  commenced  whistling.  Seals 
are  really  attentive  to  such  sounds,  whatever  some  writers  say 
to  the  contrary ;  if  they  hear  music,  singing,  or  whistling,  or 
even  a  pleasantly-intoned  voice,  they  will  keep  still  and  listen. 
So  I  whistled  away  until  Joe  crept  along  to  within  shooting  dis- 
tance, and  killed  my  oogj(X)k.  He  has  also  killed  three  seals  to- 
day, but  one  sank  and  was  lost. 

"The  thermometer  to-day  has  been  uji  above  zero;  in  the 
evening  +()'''.  Our  latitude  now  is  said  to  be  H4°  19'  N.,  which 
would  make  thirteen  miles' drift  southward  in  the  last  forty-eight 
hours. 

^'Mmrh  15.  A  strong  breeze  from  the  west,  but  clear  and 
pleasant.  No  seals  to-day.  I  thiidv  the  strong  wind  unfavora- 
ble for  seal-hunting.  No  doubt  they  scent  the  hunters  when  the 
wind  sets  toward  tiiem ;  and  when  it  snows,  with  wind,  and  is 
otherwise  bad  weather,  they  appear  to  keep  out  of  sight — don't 
like  it,  perhaps,  any  better  than  we  do  to  be  out  in  a  snow-drift. 
Thermometer  at  sunrise  —2°;  at  noon  rose  to  -f  10°. 

"I  am  looking  around  our  snow-hut  this  evening,  and  can  not 
describe  how  nasty  and  dirty  it  is.  I  know  it  is  impossible  to 
be  really  clean  living  as  we  do,  but  one  would  hardly  think  that 
any  one  could  relapse  into  quite  such  horrid  practices  who  had 
ever  lived  among  civilized  people,  as  Hannah  has  done  for  years. 
But  among  the  Americans  Hannah  learned  one  thing  that  has 
been  of  no  benefit  to  her,  and  which  has  added  many  annoyances 
to  our  inevitable  discomfort  the  past  winter.  She  observed 
among  the  white  folks  that  it  was  the  custom  for  men  to  support 
their  wives,  instead  of  using  them  as  slaves,  as  her  own  people 
do  in  their  natural  condition ;  and,  in  order  to  be  as  much  like  a 
white  woman  as  possible,  she  has  positively  declined  to  do — has 
certainly  omitted  to  do — many  things  which  would  have  made 
this  hut  more  tolerable.  Perhaps,  however,  should  a  new-comer 
see  me,  he  might  criticise  my  enforced  habits,  as  I  am  now  crit- 
icising: hers. 


304 


AKCTIC  KXl'KHIKN'CKS. 


yfarrh  16.  No  luck  to-day.  B.-forc  sunrise  Ilan.s  shot  one 
soul,  but  lost  Imn  m  the  iee,  whieh  has  been  moving  rapidly  all 
day.  ^o  otlier  seal  has  been  seen.  Cloudy  this  inornin.^  with 
strong  north-west  breeze.  ° 

''A/hniooN.  Clear;  wind  has  shifted  to  the  north -cast  This 
afternoon  1  srw  several  narwhals;  put  three  balls  into  one  but 
1)0  carried  th  ^m  all  off.  The  harpoon  is  the  only  thing  for  a 
narwhal,  and  that  wc  have  not  got.  Had  one,  but  it  was  made 
over  into  a  spear  by  one  of  the  men.  A  spear  supplements  a 
harpoon  remarkably  well,  but  it  is  no  substitute  for  one.  Ther- 
mometer did  not  get  above  xero  to-dav,  —5°. 

^'Jlarch  17.  Cloudy,  and  wind  to  the  east;  snowin<'. 


AN    EB(iLlMAU   riLOT. 


fHASE  AFTKH  A  HEAR.  305 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

A  Rear  proopcrfinK  for  a  Meal.  — TIr'  Ice  in  an  Tproar. — Seven  Seals  in  one  Day. — 
Spiinj^  by  Date. — The  '■  UlaiUler-.n  sc-"  ajipear.— OtI"  Hudson  Strait. — A  Hear 
comes  too  close. — A  lucky  Shot  in  the  Dark. — Description  of  Crsus  morifitnus. — 
Milk  in  the  youn;;;  Seal. — J""o(j1s  of  Fortune. — We  t  ike  to  the  IJoat.  —  liif;  Wash- 
hoards. — A  desperate  Struggle  to  keep  Afloat. — Alternate  b»  tween  Uoat  and  Floe. 
— Striving  to  gain  the  west  Shore. — Dead-weights. — Ice  splits. — Joe's  Hut  carried 
off.  —  Hehnild  it.-  Ice  sjilits  again,  and  destroys  Joe's  new  Hut. — Standing  ready 
for  a  .Jump. — Our  Hreakfast  goes  down  into  the  Sea.— No  Hluhher  for  our  Lamjis. 
— The  lee  splits  once  more,  separating  Mr.  Meyers  from  the  Tarty.  — We  stand 
helpless,  looking  at  each  other.  — Meyers  iniahle  to  manage  the  Hoat.— Joe  and 
Hans  go  to  liis  Relief. — All  of  us  hut  two  follow.  —Springing  from  Piece  to  Piece 
of  the  Ice. — Aleyers  rescued. — He  is  badly  frozen. — Mishaps  in  the  Water.  —  High 
Sea  running. — ^ Washed  out  of  our  Tent  by  the  Sea. — Women  and  Children  stowed 
in  the  lioat. — Not  a  dry  Place  to  stand  on. — Ice  recloses. — Sea  subsides. — Land 
Birds  ai)i)ear. — No  Seal.— Very  Hungry. 

"No  seal  -  meat  •  to  -  day.  This  morning  I  discovered  a  bear, 
about  five  o'clock;  had  quite  an  exciting  chase  after  him,  but  he 
got  away.  Both  Joe  and  Ilans  fired  at  him,  but  missed.  The 
bears  have  been  within  twenty  paces  of  our  hut  through  the 
night.  Their  tracks  arc  everywhere  around  us,  but  we  have  not 
yet  succeeded  in  getting  one.  These  bears  are  almost  as  much 
water  animals  as  the  seals.  I  have  seen  'hem  swimming  among 
the  loose  ice  a  hundred  miles  from  any  land. 

"At  meridian  our  latitude  was  63°  47'  N..  showing  a  drift  of 
thirty-two  miles  in  three  days. 

'■'March  18.  No  game  to-day,  and  nothing  seen  but  two  or  three 
narwhals,  which  it  appears  impossible  to  get.  The  weather  is 
quite  cold  again,  —15°. 

"J/a/r/i  19.  The  ice  is  commencing  another  uproar,  crushing 
and  grinding — berg  against  berg,  and  bergs  against  the  pack-ice, 
and  the  separate  portions  of  the  pack  crowding  and  pushing  as 
if  each  separate  block  was  determined  to  get  to  the  front.  Cold- 
er than  yesterday  by  one  degree. 

^^ March  20.  These  ^[arch  winds  have  been  very  cold.  We 
have  another  north-wester.  Though  the  ice  is  continually  open- 
ing, it  freezes  over  again  in  a  few  hours  strong  enough  to  bear. 

20 


306  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

The  ice  opens  more  or  less  every  day  now,  keeping  us  constant- 
ly on  the  lookout  fur  the  safety  of  our  huts.  Have  seen  a  few 
seals  to-day.  llans  fired  at  several,  and  got  one  little  fellow. 
Joe  also  fired  several  times,  but  the  wind  seemed  to  carry  the 
bullet  from  its  course.  The  wind  is  both  strong  and  cold,  and 
unfavorable  for  shooting. 

"  February  and  March  have  been  two  dreadful  months,  blow- 
ing and  snowing  almost  continuously,  but,  with  all  the  bad 
weather,  we  have  been  mercifully  provided  with  enough  meat 
during  March.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  oogjooks  I  know  not 
how  we  could  have  subsisted,  for  our  bread  and  pemmican  would 
then  have  had  to  be  eaten,  and,  on  the  smallest  allowance,  would 
have  been  gone  by  the  1st  of  April.  But  now  we  eat  nothing 
but  meat,  and  wc  consume  every  part  of  these  creatures,  except 
such  as  is  dangerous  to  health  and  life.  The  diet  is  not  agree- 
able, but  it  is  sti'engthening. 

''■Marvli  21.  Clear  and  cold.  Strong  breeze  from  the  north- 
west, Joe  and  Hans  have  been  sealing,  and  have  had  a  fortunate 
day.  The  hole  where  they  found  the  seal  was  a  mile  off.  They 
traveled  over  the  newly  cemented  ice,  and  succeeded  in  shooting, 
Joe  six,  and  Ilans  one — seven  seals!  Our  stock  is  increasing 
fast;  we  have  enough  meat  now  to  last  through  ^larch,  and  I  do 
not  fear  for  April  as  to  the  matter  of  game,  as  we  are  approach- 
ing still  better  hunting-ground.  But  what  a  gory  appearance 
our  little  hut  presents — a  perfect  shamble  !  The  blankets  of  the 
creatures  are,  of  course,  mainly  saved  for  oil ;  and  when  we  eat 
enough,  it  takes  two  of  these  small  seals  to  supply  the  whole 
compan}'. 

'■'■March  22.  An  agreeable  variety  in  the  weather;  it  is  both 
clear  and  pleasant,  with  a  light  wind  from  the  west.  Joe,  Hans, 
and  myself  went  off  early  to  the  sealing-holes.  Considerable 
young  ice  had  formed  through  the  night,  and  Joe  shot  two  seals 
— only  one  day's  fare  if  there  is  no  restriction  put  upon  the  men. 
These  Germans  are  tremendous  eaters  and  outrageous  grumblers. 
They  seem  to  be  possessed  with  the  idea  that  they  can  improve 
every  thing — as  they  did  the  useful  harpoon  into  a  useless  spear, 
and,  in  consequence,  nearly  every  rifle  we  had  upon  the  ice  but 
Joe's,  which  they  could  not  get  hold  of,  has  been  ruined  by  their 
tinkering.  They  must  work  away  at  every  thing,  and  never 
stop  till  it  is  rendered  useless. 


THE  "BLADDER-NOSES.'  307 

"  The  sun  entered  the  first  point  of  Aries  yesterday,  and  is 
now  on  bis  upward  course.  Spring  is  here,  according  to  the 
astronomers,  and  the  weather  shows  that  it  is  at  least  approach- 
ins:.  The  thermometer  has  marked  10^  to  15°  above  zero.  Oh 
how  I  wish  that  two  months  more  wcm'c  passed  !  This  is  a  dread- 
ful life,  and  we  have  been  a  long  time  in  it — over  Hve  months 
now  ;  but  we  'still  live.' 

"J/«/t/<  23.  Our  promised  spring  appears  to  have  deserted  us 
again.  It  is  blowing  strong  and  cold  from  the  north,  and  tb.e  ice 
appears  to  be  frozen  together  again  everywhere  within  seeing 
distance.     There  has  been  no  hunting  to-day. 

"  J/«/-c/i  24.  We  started  about  8  a.m.  for  a  hole  of  water,  which 
Joe  discerned  in  the  d"  'xnce  to  the  eastward.  Saw  a  few  seals; 
Joe  shot  one.  We  also  discovered  bear-tracks  in  the  vicinity 
of  our  huts;  we  see  them  now  frequently.  It  has  been  cloudy 
to-day,  with  strong  breeze  from  the  north-west.  Thermometer 
varying  slightly  in  the  vicinity  of  zero. 

"  J/a/'c/i  2o.  Olf  huntinor;  "ot  two  seals.  Ice  remains  the  same, 
and  no  water  within  a  mile.  I  went  over  to  the  water  to-day, 
but  rheumatism  compelled  me  to  return  at  noon.  By  observa- 
tion to-day  our  latitude  is  61°  59'  N.  —  the  cold  strong  breeze 
still  blowina;  from  the  north-west.  We  are  down  now  where  I 
expected  to  tind  the  large  hooded  seal,  or,  as  we  call  them,  '  biad- 
der-uoses.'  The  weather  is  so  very  cold,  I  think  it  prevents 
them  showing  themselves  on  the  ice.  A  very  few  of  these  large 
seals,  and  there  would  be  no  more  risk  of  starvini?. 

''■March  26.  The  bladder -noses  are  here!  I  thought  they 
could  not  be  far  off.  Shot  nine  large  ones  to-day,  and  saved 
four — five  of  them  sank.  Joe  shot  three,  and  Hans  one.  Thank 
God,  we  have  now  meat  enough  for  eighteen  or  twenty  daj's. 
Saw  one  whale  to-day. 

"J/rtrc/i  27.  Our  whole  company  feel  cheered  and  encouraged, 
knowing  we  have  now  got  to  the  promised  seal-grounds,  where 
plenty  can  be  obtained;  and  our  ammunition  holds  out  well.  One 
of  the  men,  Fred,  got  a  bad,  but  not  dangerous,  cut  in  the  thigh; 
it  was  an  accident,  and  I  thiidv  will  soon  heal  up. 

"We  are  now  in  the  strong  tides  off  the  mouth  of  Hudson 
Strait ;  but  we  can  see  no  land.  The  ice  is  on  the  move,  but 
without  any  present  signs  of  disruption. 

'■'■  March  2y.  We  have  got  a  bear  at  last!     Shortly  after  dark 


308  ARCTIC  EXrERIENCES. 

last  evening,  we  heard  a  noise  outside  of  our  but.  I  had  just 
taken  off  my  boots,  preparing  for  rest.  Joe,  too,  was  about  re- 
tirincr,  but  on  hearinir  the  noise  thought  it  was  the  ice  breaking 
up,  and  that  he  would  go  out  and  see  what  the  situation  was. 
lie  was  not  gone  more  than  ten  seconds  before  he  came  back, 
pale  and  frightened,  exclaimir  j,  'There  is  a  bear  close  to  my 
kyack !'  The  kyack  was  within  ten  feet  of  the  entrance  to  the  hut 
Joe's  rifle,  and  also  mine,  were  outside — mine  lying  close  to  the 
kyack — Joe's  was  inside  of  it;  but  Joe  had  his  pistol  in  the  hut. 
I'uttiiig  on  my  boots,  we  crept  cautiously  out,  and,  getting  to  the 
outer  entrance,  could  hear  the  bear  distinctly  eating.  There  were 
several  seal-skins  and  a  good  deal  of  blubber  lying  around  in  ail 
directions.  Some  of  the  skins  we  were  drying  for  clothing,  and 
some  were  yet  green.  Getting  outside,  we  could  plainly  see  his 
bearship.  He  had  now  hauled  some  of  the  skins  and  blubber 
about  thirty  feet  from  the  kyack,  and  was  eating  away,  having 
a  good  feast.  Joe  crept  into  the  sailors'  hut  to  alarm  them. 
While  he  was  gone,  I  crept  stealthily  to  my  rifle,  but  in  taking 
it  I  knocked  down  a  shot-gun  standing;  bv.  The  bear  heard  u, 
but  my  rifle  was  already  on  him ;  he  growled,  1  pulled  the  trig- 
ger, but  the  gun  did  not  go;  pulled  the  second  and  third  time — it 
did  not  go;  but  I  did,  for  the  bear  now  came  for  me.  Getting  in 
the  hut,  I  put  another  cartridge  in,  and  put  two  reserves  in  my 
vest-pocket,  and  crept  out  again,  getting  a  position  where  I  could 
see  the  animal,  although  it  was  what  might  be  called  quite  dark. 
He  saw  me,  too,  and  again  fliced  me ;  but  this  time,  to  my  joy 
and  his  sorrow,  the  rifle-ball  went  straiiiht  to  its  mark  —  the 
lieart  I  aimed  for.  Joe  now  came  out  of  the  men's  hut,  and 
cracked  both  a  rifle  and  pistol  at  him.  The  bear  ran  about  two 
rods,  and  fell  dead.  On  skinning  him  in  the  morning,  I  found 
that  the  ball  had  entered  the  left- shoulder,  passed  through  the 
heart,  and  out  at  the  other  side — a  lucky  shot  in  the  dark  ! 

"  This  bear  will  at  least  give  us  a  change  of  diet,  if  it  is  still 
meat.  He  is  a  fine  large  animal,  and  every  part  good  but  the 
liver.  The  meat  tastes  more  like  pork  than  any  thing  we  have 
had  to  eat  for  a  long  time. 

"It  may  be  thought  strange  by  those  who  have  never  lived  in 
this  climate  in  an  igloo,  that  we  should  leave  our  guns  outside 
of  the  hut,'instead  of  keeping  them  by  us;  but  if  brought  in  they 
would  soon  be  spoiled,  because  the  exhalations  from  the  lungs 


A  GALE  OF  WIND.  309 

condense  in  this  atmosphere,  and  form  moisture,  wliich  settles 
on  every  thing,  and  would  sjjoil  fire-arms,  unless  carefully  cased, 
and  we  have  no  casings. 

"This  bear  was  ^vuat  is  called  by  the  whalers  the  'sea  bear' 
{Ursiis  maritimus),  and  it  is  almost  amphibious,  as  it  swims  quite 
as  well  as  it  walks,  only  I  suppose  it  could  not  live  entirely  in  the 
water;  and  it  might  live  exclusively  on  land  if  it  could  get  suf- 
ficient food.  It  is  a  modification  of  the  common  Arctic  bear,  and 
necessity  makes  it  seek  its  food,  which  is  princijially  seals,  either 
upon  the  ice  or  in  the  water,  as  opportunity  olfers. 

''March  80.  Night  before  last  the  wind  sprung  up  strong  from 
the  north-west.  Yesterday  it  increased  to  a  gale.  Iluge  beigs — 
and  I  do  not  in  the  least  exaggerate  when  I  say  hundreds  in 
number — were  plowing  their  way  through  the  ice :  there  was  quite 
a  heavy  swell  under  the  ice,  and  the  broad  bases  of  these  bergs 
are  sunk  many  fathoms  deep  in  the  water.  The  floe-ice  had  re- 
frozen  mostly  together  again,  after  the  break-up  in  the  middle 
of  !March,  and  was  now  once  more  in  fragments.  The  gale  con- 
tinued heavy  through  the  night  of  the  29th,  keeping  us  on  the 
lookout  for  the  safety  of  our  piece.  It  is  still  blowing  heavy, 
with  considerable  swell.  In  the  night  I  felt  a  great  thump,  as  if 
a  hammer  a  mile  wide  had  hit  us,  and  getting  out  to  see  what 
was  the  cause,  found  we  had  drifted  foul  of  a  large  berg,  and  the 
collision  had  produced  the  sensation  I  have  described.  Well, 
we  thumped  a  while  on  the  berg,  and  I  did  not  know  but  we 
should  go  to  pieces  and  founder;  but  after  finally  we  cleared  it, 
and  sailed  on,  apparently  without  serious  injury  to  our  brittle 
craft. 

"This  morning  it  is  snowing  again,  with  heavy  drift.  We 
can  see  but  a  short  distance  before  us.  We  arc  somewhere  off 
the  mouth  of  Hudson  Strait,  but  how  far  from  shore  I  have  no 
means  of  ascertaining.  Our  little  ice-craft  is  plowing  its  way 
through  the  sea  without  other  guide  than  the  Great  Being  above. 

"  6  P.M.  Still  blowing  strongly,  but  little  snow  drifting.  This 
afternoon  saw  two  "bladder-noses"'  floating  on  the  ice;  got  the 
boat  launched,  and  went  for  them.  The  male  escaped  to  the  wa- 
ter, but  we  2"ot  the  female  and  her  little  vounoj  one.  Hans,  later 
in  the  day,  shot  another  young  one.  When  the  young  of  the 
seal  can  be  secured  without  shooting,  it  is  customary  to  press 
them  to  death  by  putting  the  foot  down  heavily  upon  them,  as 


310  ARCTIC  EXPERlENXES, 

by  this  means  not  only  all  tlic  blood  is  saved,  but  the  milk  in 
the  stomach;  and  among  the  PJsquimaux  this  milk  is  highly  rel- 
ished. The  men  put  sonic  of  the  milk  in  their  blood -soup. 
These  bladder -noses,  when  attacked,  often  show  considerable 
fight,  if  approached  with  spears  or  clubs.  But  they  can  do  noth- 
ini;:  acrainst  bullets  but  u^et  out  of  the  way. 

''Our  piece  of  ice  is  gradually  wearing  tu-^ay;  last  night  there 
was  a  heavy  sea,  water  all  round  us,  and  scarcely  any  ice  to  be 
seen ;  but  it  may  close  again.  Latitude  at  noon  reported  59° 
41' N. 

^'' April  1.  We  have  been  the  'fools  of  fortune'  now  for  five 
months  and  a  half.  Our  piece  of  ice  is  now  entirely  detached 
from  the  main  pack,  which  is  to  the  west  of  us,  and  which  would 
be  safer  than  this  little  bit  we  are  on,  and  so  we  have  determined 
to  take  to  the  boat  and  try  and  regain  it.  To  do  this  we  must 
abandon  all  our  store  of  meat,  and  we  have  sufficient  now  to  last 
us  for  a  month,  and  many  other  things.  Among  the  most  valu- 
able, much  of  the  ammunition  will  have  to  be  left,  on  account  of 
its  weight — all  the  powder  being  put  up  in  metallic  cartridges, 
for  preservation  against  damp  and  other  accidents. 

"  We  got  launched,  and  made  some  twenty  miles  west,  but  were 
very  nearly  swamped,  for,  notwithstanding  all  we  had  abandon- 
ed, we  were  still  excessively  overloaded,  what  with  nineteen  per- 
sons and  the  heavy  sleep! ng-gear.  When  it  is  considered  that 
the  boat  was  only  intended  for  six  or  eight  men,  and  that  we  bad 
to  carry  twelve  men,  two  women,  and  five  children,  with  our  tent, 
and  with  absolutely  necessary  wrapping  of  skins  for  protection 
from  the  weather,  it  is  not  surprising  that  v/e  did  not  make  much 
headway.  We  were  so  crowded  that  I  could  scarcely  move  my 
arms  sufficientl}^  to  handle  the  yoke-ropes  without  knocking  over 
some  child — and  these  children  frightened  and  crying  about  all 
the  time.  Having  got  about  twenty  miles,  we  were  compelled 
to  hold  up  on  the  first  piece  of  good  ice  we  could  find.  It  was 
with  much  difficulty  that  through  these  changes  I  preserved 
Captain  Hall's  writing-desk  from  destruction;  some  of  the  men 
were  bound  to  have  Joe  throw  it  overboard,  but  I  positively  for- 
bade it,  as  it  was  all  we  had  belonfring  to  our  late  commander. 

"On  this  ice  we  spread  what  few  skins  we  had,  set  up  our  tent, 
and  ate  our  little  ration  of  dry  bread  and  pemmican.  Ilans  and 
his  family  had  the  boat  for  sleeping-quarters.         . 


ABANDONING  THE  SMALL  FLOE.  311 

"On  the  morning  of  the  2d  we  stavted  again,  still  pushing  to 
the  west;  but  tlie  wind,  with  snow-squalls,  was  against  us,  being 
from  the  quarter  to  which  we  were  steering,  and  we  made  but 
little  progress;  what  we  made  was  S.S.W.  Hauled  up  on  an- 
other piece  of  ice,  and  encamped. 

^^ April  3.  Spent  part  of  the  day  repairing  the  boat,  and  fitting 
her  up  with  wash-boards  of  canvas,  to  keep  the  water  from  dash- 
ing over  the  sides.  Seals  are  so  plenty  around  us  now  that  I  do 
not  hear  any  more  croaking  about  the  want  of  meat.  We  can 
get  all  we  want  as  long  as  our  ammunition  holds  out.  After  rig- 
ging our  boat  up,  started  again,  heading  to  the  west. 

^^Ajml  4.  After  a  desperate  struggle,  we  have  at  last  regained 
the  'pack,"  and  are  now  encamped.  The  sun  showed  itself  at 
noon,  but  we  are  again  blessed  with  a  heavy  wnnd  from  the  north 
and  snow-squalls.  Our  tent  is  not  as  good  a  protection  from  the 
wind  as  the  snow-huts.  Joe,  with  a  little  help,  can  l;uild  a  hut 
in  an  hour,  if  the  right  kind  of  snow-blocks  can  be  procured.  If 
we  were  on  land  we  could  find  stones  to  help  make  them  of.  Mr. 
Meyers  has  saved  his  instruments,  and  gives  us  the  latitude  of  our 
new  home  as  56°  47'  N. 

"We  are  now  on  a  heavy  piece  of  ice,  and  I  hope  out  of  im- 
mediate danger:  it  looks  conipact  to  the  westward,  but  there  is 
no  ice  to  be  trusted  at  this  time  of  the  year.  We  have  had  a 
hard  battle  to  reach  it,  however,  and  we  are  all  pretty  w^ell  tired 
out. 

"  I  did  not  make  any  conversation  with  either  Meyers  or  the 
men  about  abandoning  the  small  floe;  for  the  time  had  come 
when  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  do  so.  I  told  them  in  the 
evening  that  if  the  wind  abated  through  the  night  we  must  leave 
in  the  morning.  Some  objected  to  go  back  into  the  pack-ice,  but 
wanted  to  take  to  the  water  in  the  boat.  Had  I  consented  to 
that,  most  would  probably  have  been  lost  in  the  first  gale ;  for 
we  should  have  had  to  throw  overboard  every  thing,  sleeping- 
gear,  even  guns  and  ammunition  ;  and  some  of  the  men,  by  their 
expressions,  seemed  to  intimate  that  they  would  not  have  hesi- 
tated to  throw  over  the  women  and  children  to  save  their  own 
lives.  Then,  also,  we  should  have  had  no  water  to  drink,  nor 
any  opportunity  to  catch  game,  and,  getting  once  thoroughly  wet, 
our  clothes  would  have  frozen  on  us  in  the  night,  and  we  proba- 
bly have  frozen  too,  as  it  is  still  very  cold. 


312  ARCTIC  KXl'EItlENCES. 

"  When  we  finally  got  into  the  boat  to  try  and  reach  the  pack- 
ice,  some  again  insisted,  instead  of  sailing  west,  on  getting  out  to 
seaward,  by  trying  to  work  south  in  the  boat,  which  was  laden 
very  heavy,  and  was,  of  course,  low  in  the  water,  with  nineteen 
souls  aboard,  ammunition,  guns,  skins,  and  several  hundred 
pounds  of  seal-meat ;  and,  consequently,  the  sea  began  to  break 
over  us,  and  the  men  became  frightened,  and  some  of  them  ex- 
claimed that '  the  boat  was  sinking.'  Of  course,  I  wished  to  reach 
the  pack  without  losing  any  thing  more  than  was  absolutely  nec- 
essary, for  we  really  had  nothing  to  spare;  but  the  boat  took 
water  so  badly  that  I  saw  we  must  sacrifice  every  thing,  and  so 
the  seal-meat  was  thrown  over  (the  loss  of  which  nearly  caused 
our  ruin),  with  many  other  things  we  sadly  needed ;  but  the  boat 
had  to  be  liglitcned,  and  so  I  set  the  example  of  throwing  away 
some  things  I  prized  most  highly,  that  the  men  might  be  induced 
to  rid  themselves  of '  dead-weights ;'  and  after  all  was  done,  the 
boat  was  still  overloaded  fearfully;  but,  turning  to  the  west,  by 
careful  management  we  reached  the  pack  as  I  have  narrated, 
through  great  peril  and  much  loss,  but  with  all  our  company 
saved. 

^'' April  5.  Blowing  a  gale  from  the  north-east,  and  a  fearful 
sea  running.  Two  pieces  broke  from  our  floe  at  five  o'clock 
this  morning.  We  had  to  haul  all  our  things  farther  back  to- 
ward the  centre.  Soon  after  another  piece  broke  off,  carrying 
Joe's  hut  with  it.  Fortunately,  the  snapping  and  cracking  of 
the  ice  gave  some  warning,  so  that  they  had  time  to  escape,  and 
also  to  throw  out  and  save  some  few  things.  No  telling  where 
it  will  split  next.  It  has  been  a  dreadful  day — the  more  so  that 
we  can  do  nothing  to  help  ourselves.  If  there  was  any  thing  to 
be  done,  it  would  relieve  the  mind  of  much  anxious  watching. 
If  the  ice  breaks  up  much  more,  we  must  break  up  with  it.  We 
shall  set  a  watch  to-night.  Joe  has  rebuilt  his  hut,  or  rather  built 
another.  This  sort  of  real  estate  is  getting  to  be  '  very  uncertain 
property.' 

^'' Aprils.  Blowing  a  gale,  very  severe,  from  the  north-west. 
We  are  still  on  the  same  piece  of  ice,  for  the  reason  that  we  can 
not  get  off — the  sea  is  too  rough.  We  are  at  the  mercy  of  the 
elements.  Joe  lost  another  hut  to-day.  The  ice,  with  a  great 
roar,  split  across  the  floe,  cutting  Joe's  hut  right  in  two. 

"  We  have  such  a  small  foothold  left  that  we  can  not  lie  down 


NO  BLUBBKll  FOK  OUR  LAMl'S.  313 

to-night.     We  have  put  our  things  in  the  boat,  and  are  standing 
by  for  a  juni]). 

^'Ajiril  7.  Wind  still  blowing  a  gale,  with  a  tearful  sea  running. 
At  six  o'clock  this  morning,  while  we  were  getting  a  rnorsel  of 
food,  the  ice  split  right  under  our  tentl  We  wt re  just  able  to 
scramble  out,  but  our  breakfast  went  down  into  the  sea.  W^e  very 
nearly  lost  our  boat  —  and  that  would  be  equivalent  to  losing 
ourselves. 

"Of  course,  while  this  storm  and  commotion  has  been  raging 
around  us  we  could  not  shoot  any  seals,  and  so  are  obliged  to 
starve  again  for  a  time,  hoping  and  praying  that  it  may  not  be 
for  long.  The  worst  of  our  present  dearth  of  seals  is  that  we  have 
no  blubber  to  feed  the  lamp,  so  that  we  can  not  even  melt  a  piece 
of  ice  for  water.  AVe  have,  therefore,  no  water  to  drink.  Every 
thing  looks  very  gloomy  again.  All  we  can  do  is  to  set  a  watch, 
and  be  prepared  for  any  emergency.  We  have  set  the  tent  up 
again,  as  we  held  on  to  that  and  saved  it.  Half  of  the  men  have 
sot  in  under  it  to  <>;ct  a  little  rest,  while  the  otheis  walk  around 
it  outside.  This  is  a  very  exciting  period.  If  one  atucmpts  to 
rest  the  body,  there  is  no  rest  for  the  mind.  One  and  another 
will  spring  up  from  their  sleep,  and  make  a  wnld  dash  forward, 
as  if  avoiding  some  sudden  danger.  What  little  sleep  I  get  is 
disturbed  and  unrefrcshincf.  I  wonder  how  long  we  can  tio'ht 
through  this  sort  of  thing. 

".Iy>/v7  8.  Worse  and  worse!  Last  night  at  twelve,  midnight, 
the  ice  worked  aaain  ri^ht  between  the  tent  and  the  boat,  which 
were  close  together — so  close  that  a  man  could  not  walk  between 
them.  Just  there  the  ice  split,  separating  the  boat  and  tent,  and 
with  the  boat  was  the  kyack  and  Mr.  Meyers,  wdio  was  on  the  ice 
beyond  the  boat.     We  stood  helpless,  looking  at  each  other. 

'"The  weather  as  usual,  blowing,  snowing,  and  very  cold,  wuth 
a  heavy  sea  running,  the  ice  breaking,  crushing,  and  overlapping. 
A  sigiit  grand  indeed,  but  most  fearful  in  our  position — the  help- 
less victims  of  this  elemental  rage. 

''  Meyers  can  manage  neither  the  boat  nor  the  kyack — the  boat 
is  too  heavy,  the  kyack  of  no  use  to  any  one  unaccustomed  to  its 
management.  Should  he  get  in  it,  he  would  be  capsized  in  an 
instant.  So  he  cast  the  kyack  adrift,  hoping  it  would  come  to 
us,  and  that  Joe  or  Hans  could  get  it  and  come  for  him,  and 
bring  him  a  line,  or  assist  him  some  way.     Unfortunately,  the 


314  AKCTIC  EXPKKIENCES. 

kyack  diiftetl  to  the  leeward.  However,  Joe  and  Hans  took  their 
paddles  and  ice-spear  and  went  for  it.  springing  from  one  piece 
of  ice  to  another,  and  so  they  worked  over.  It  looks  like  danger- 
ous business.  We  may  never  see  them  again.  But  all  the  rest 
of  us  will  be  lost  without  the  boat,  so  they  are  as  well  off  as  we. 
They  are  lost  unless  God  returns  them.  After  an  hour's  strug- 
gle through  what  little  light  there  is,  we  can  just  make  out  that 
they  have  reached  the  boat,  which  is  now  half  a  mile  off.  There 
they  appear  to  be  heli^les.-*. 

"  It  is  getting  too  dark  to  see  the  end ;  it  is  colder,  and  the  ice 
is  closing  around  us.  We  can  do  nothing  more  to-ni<:ht.  It  is 
calmer,  and  I  must  venture  to  lie  down  somewhere  and  get  a  lit- 
tle rest,  to  prepare  for  the  next  battle  with  ice  and  storm. 

"Davliirlit  at  last!  We  sej  them  now  with  the  boat,  but  thev 
can  do  nothing  with  her.  The  kyack  is  about  the  same  distance 
away  in  another  direction.  They  have  not  strength  to  manage 
the  big  boat.  We  must  venture  off  and  try  to  get  to  them.  We 
may  as  well  be  crushed  in  the  ice  as  remain  here  without  a  boat. 
So  I  determine  to  try  and  get  to  them.  Taking  a  stick  in  my 
hand,  to  help  balance  and  support  myself  on  the  shifting  ice-cakes. 
I  make  a  start,  and  Kruger  follows  me.  We  jump  or  step,  as  the 
case  may  be,  from  one  slippery  wave-washed  piece  of  ice  to  an- 
other— a  few  steps  level,  and  then  a  piece  higher  or  lower,  so  that 
we  have  to  spring  up  or  down.  Sometimes  the  pieces  are  almost 
close  together;  then  we  have  a  good  jump  to  reach  the  next,  and 
so  we  go,  leaping  along  like  so  many  goats.  On  arriving  where 
the  boat  was,  we  found  our  combined  strength — Mr.  Meyers,  well, 
he  was  too  used  up  to  have  any — Joe,  Hans,  Kruger,  and  myself 
— could  not  stir  it.  I  called  over  to  the  other  men,  and  two  oth- 
ers got  over  in  the  way  we  had,  and  still  our  strength  was  insuffi- 
cient. At  last  all  came  over  but  two,  who  were  afraid  to  vent- 
ure, and  after  a  long  struggle  we  got  her  safe  back  to  camp  again, 
bringing  Mr.  Mevers  with  us.  Both  he  and  Frederick  Jamka  fell 
in  the  water,  but  were  pulled  out  again.  Luckily  for  them,  there 
were  two  or  three  dry  suits  among  the  men,  so  that  they  could 
change.  We  are  all  more  or  less  wet,  and  Mr.  Meyers  badly 
frozen. 

"  We  have  taken  our  tent  down  once  more,  and  pitched  it 
nearer  to  the  centre  of  our  little  piece  of  ice,  and  the  boat  is 
alongside,  so  that  we  feel  comparatively  safe  once  more.     Joe 


CLEAR  Sl'NSKT.  315 

has  built  another  hut  alongside  the  tent,  anil  we  have  breakfast- 
ed on  a  few  morsels  of  peininican  and  bread.  We  have  also  set 
a  wateh  to  observe  the  movements  of  the  ice,  and  the  remainder 
of  the  men  are  lying  down  to  get  some  sleep,  of  which  we  are  all 
much  in  need.  Where  we  are  the  wind  is  west-north-west,  but 
outside  of  the  'pack'  there  is  no  wind. 

'•^AprU  9.  Things  have  remained  quiet  the  last  twelve  hours. 
Durintc  the  night  the  wind  was  north-west;  now  blowing  a 
north-east  gale  outside  of  the  'i)ack.'  The  sun  shone  for  a  few 
minutes — about  long  enough  to  take  an  observation  :  lat.  oo^  01', 
approximates  to  that.  The  sea  is  running  very  high  again, 
and  threatening  to  wash  us  off  every  moment.  The  ice  is  much 
slacker,  and  the  water,  lilce  a  hungry  beast,  creeps  nearer.  Things 
look  very  bad.  We  are  in  the  hands  of  God ;  he  alone  knows 
how  this  night  will  end, 

'■'•Ea'iiin'j.  The  sea  washed  us  out  of  our  tent  and  the  natives 
from  their  hut,  and  we  got  every  thing  into  the  boat  once  more, 
ready  for  a  start;  but  I  fear  she  can  never  live  in  such  a  sea. 
The  sun  set  clear  in  a  golden  light,  which  has  cheered  us  up 
with  the  hope  of  better  weather.  The  women  and  children  now 
stay  in  the  boat  for  safety.  The  ice  may  split  so  suddenly  that 
there  would  not  be  time  to  get  them  in  if  they  were  scattered 
about.  The  baby  is  kept  in  its  mother's  hood,  but  the  rest  have 
to  be  picked  up  and  handled  every  time  there  is  a  change  of 
position  on  the  ice ;  but  we  have  got  thus  far  without  losing  any 
of  them, 

"The  sea  keeps  washing  over,  so  that  there  is  not  a  dry  place 
to  stand  upon,  nor  a  piece  of  fresh-water  ice  to  eat.  We  have 
suffered  badly  with  thirst.  The  sea  has  swept  over  all,  and  fill- 
ed all  the  little  depressions  where  we  could  sometimes  find  fresh- 
water ice  with  sea-water, 

"  10  P,M,  The  ice  closing  around  ns  fast.  The  wind  and  sea 
going  down. 

^^  12  rj  clock,  M((liv'f/7it  Things  look  so  quiet,  and  the  ice  is  so 
well  closed,  that  we  have  risked  setting  up  the  tent  once  more, 
and  intend  to  try  and  get  some  sleep,  for  we  are  quite  worn  out, 

^^Apn'l  10.  Last  night  it  was  quite  calm.  To-day  it  is  cloudy 
and  very  warm.  The  ice  is  closed  around,  and  we  are  prisoners 
still, 

"The  othei  morning  Mr,  Meyers  found  that  his  toes  were  froz- 


316 


AIUTIC  KXrKKIKXCKS. 


en — no  doubt  from  his  exposure  on  tlie  ice  witlioul  shelter  the 
day  he  was  separated  from  us.  He  is  not  very  strong  at  the 
best,  and  his  fall  In  the  water  has  not  imj)roved  his  condition. 

^'' April  11.  Cahn  and  eloudy.  We  ean  not,  I  tliink,  be  far 
from  shoi  2.  We  have  seen  a  fox,  some  ravens,  and  other  land 
bird.s.  The  ice  is  still  closed  around  us — nothing  but  ice  to  be 
seen.  We  have  two  large  bergs  almost  on  top  of  us ;  but,  for- 
tunately, there  is  no  movement  of  the  ice,  or  a  portion  of  these 
overhanging  bergs  might  fall  upon  and  crush  us.  It  is  at  pres- 
ent calm  and  still, 

^'AprU  VI.  Light  wind  from  the  south-east;  nearly  calm  at 
times.  Have  seen  some  seals,  but  can  not  get  them.  Are  very 
hungry,  and  are  likely  to  remain  so.  The  sun  is  shining  for  the 
tirst  time  in  a  gooil  many  days,  and  the  weather  is  very  pleasant. 
Got  an  observation  to-dav :  lat.  55°  85'  X. 


OOMIAK,  OE   WOMA^j'li   BOAT. 


liAbTEK-MNDAV.  yi7 


('II AFTER  XXVI. 

Eiister-Siiruliiy. — FIa«lios  of  Divinity.  — Moyers's  SiirteriiiK  from  wiint  of  Food. — 'Men 
vorv  Wciili. — Foarfiil  Tlioiijilits. — A  timely  Kclii;!'.  —  Laiul  uiicc  more  in  Si;,'lit. — 
Flocks  of  Ducks. — Grotcsijiie  Misery. — A  Statue  of  Famine. — A  desolating  Wave. 
— A  Foretaste  i>f  wurse. — Maniiintj  the  I'oat  in  a  new  Fasliiun. — A  Battery  <»f 
Iee-l>l(i(ks.  — All  Ni!,'lit  "standing,'  liy '"  the  IJoat. — A  feartnl  Siriij,'i,'le  for  Lite. — 
Worse  ort"  than  St.  Paul. — Daylij;ht  at  last. — Laimehcd  once  more. — Watch  and 
Watch. — The  Sjiurt  and  Jest  of  the  F.leinents.  —  Lack  of  Food. — Half  d.owned. 
cold,  and  hunj,'ry.  —  Kat  dried  Skin  ^aved  for  (.'lothint;. — A  Hear  I  a  Hearl — Anx- 
ious Moments. — I'oor  I'olurl  God  has  sent  us  Food. — Hecui)erating  on  Bear-meat. 
— A  crippled,  overloaded  I$oat. — A  Battle  of  the  Bergs. — Shooting  young  Blad- 
der-noses.—Hoping  (iH-  Keliel'. 

'*. !/)/•// 13.  I  think  this  mu.st  be  Easter- Sunday  in  civilized 
lands.  Surely  we  have  had  more  than  a  forty  days'  fast.  May 
we  have  a  glorious  resurrection  to  peace  and  safety  ere  long ! 

"The  ice  opened  again  last  night,  but  closed  in  the  morning. 
It  remained  open  but  a  few  hours,  slackening  a  little  to-day.  But 
we  can  neither  travel  over  it  nor  use  the  boat :  we  can  do  nothing 
with  it;  we  might  as  well  be  without  volition.  Our  fate  is  not 
in  our  own  hands. 

"Last  night,  as  I  sat  solitary,  thinking  over  our  desperate  situ- 
ation, the  northern  lights  appeared  in  great  splendor.  I  watched 
while  they  lasted,  and  there  seemed  to  be  something  like  the 
promise  accompanying  the  first  rainbow  in  their  brilliant  tlashes. 
The  auroras  seem  to  me  always  like  a  sudden  flashing  out  of 
the  Divinity:  a  sort  of  reminder  that  God  has  not  left  ofY  the 
active  operations  of  his  will.  This,  with  my  impression  that  it 
must  be  Easter-Sunday,  has  thrown  a  ray  of  hope  over  our 
otherwise  desolate  outlook, 

"Saw  some  seals  to-day,  but  the  ice  being  in  such  a  condition, 
we  can  not  secure  any.  We  should  be  very  glad  now  of  some 
of  the  meat  we  w^ere  obliged  to  abandon.  Our  latitude  is  55°  23', 
approximate. 

^'■April  14.  Wind  light,  from  the  north.  The  pack  still  close. 
No  chance  of  shifting  our  position  for  a  better  yet.  See  seals 
almost  every  day,  but  can  not  get  them.     We  can  neither  go 


3l!>  AUtTK'  KXI'KKIKXCKS. 

through  the  ice  nor  over  it  in  its  present  condition.  The  weath- 
er is  tine  and  the  sea  calm,  ur,  ratlier,  1  should  say,  the  ice  is  cuhn, 
for  I  see  no  water  anywhere.     Lat.  55^  13' N. 

"Our  small  piece  of  ice  is  wearing  away  very  fast,  and  our 
provisions  nearly  linished.  Things  look  very  dark,  starvation 
very  near.  Poor  Meyers  looks  wretchedly  ;  the  lo.ss  of  food  tells 
on  hiin  worse  than  on  the  rest.  lie  ]ot>ks  very  weak.  I  have 
much  symptitliy  for  liim,  notwithstanding  the  trouble  he  has 
caused  me.  I  trust  in  God  to  bring  us  all  through.  It  does  not 
seem  possible  that  wc  should  have  been  j)rescrved  through  .so 
many  perils,  and  such  long-continued  suffering,  only  to  perish  at 
last. 

'^April  15.  Nearly  calm;  very  light  north  wind.  The  ice  still 
the  same.  No  change  except  that  it  was  much  colder — 8°  to  10^ 
below  zero.  Snow  is  falling  very  thiek,  but  without  wind. 
Stopped  snowing,  and  sun  shining  as  bright  as  ever  again — a 
spring  'spurt'  of  snow.  This  would  be  splendid  weather  to 
travel  now ;  but  we  are  stayed  and  can  not  stir.  Meyers  looks 
very  bad.  Hunger  and  cold  show  their  worst  effects  on  him. 
Some  of  the  men  have  dangerous  looks;  this  hunger  is  disturb- 
ing their  brains.  I  can  not  but  i'ear  that  they  contemplate  crime. 
After  what  we  have  gone  through,  T  hope  this  company  may  bo 
preserved  from  any  fatal  wrong.  We  can  and  we  must  bepr 
what  God  sends  without  crime.  This  party  must  not  disgrac- 
humanity  by  cannibalism. 

^^April  16.  One  more  day  got  over  without  a  catastrophe.  The 
ice  is  still  the  same.  Some  of  the  men's  heads  and  faces  are 
much  swollen,  but  from  what  cause  I  can  not  discover.  I  know 
scurvy  when  I  see  it,  and  it  is  not  that.  We  keep  an  hour- 
watch  now  through  the  night.  The  men  are  too  weak  to  keep 
up  long  together.  Some  one  has  been  at  the  pemmican.  This 
is  not  the  first  time.  I  know  the  men ;  there  are  three  of  them. 
They  have  been  the  three  principal  pilferers  of  the  party.  One 
of  them  was  caught  at  it  on  the  7th  of  this  month.  I  should  not 
blame  them  much  for  taking  food,  but  of  course  all  the  others 
will  have  less  in  consequence.  We  have  but  a  few  days'  pro- 
visions left.  We  came  down  still  lower  on  our  allowance  this 
morning.  Rather  weakening  work,  but  it  must  be  done  to  save 
life  in  the  end.  The^  idea  that  cannibalism  can  be  contemplated 
by  any  human  being  troubles  me  very  much. 


A  JUYFUL  SIGHT-LAND.  319 

".l^>>v7  1".  Light  breeze;  S.S.W.  The  ice  the;  same ;  no  open- 
ing yet.     La t.  54^27'. 

^'A/>ri/  L^.  Very  li.^lit  breeze  from  the  north. 

'"11  A.M.  Joe  .sj)iL'd  ;i  sinaU  hoU'  of  water  about  luilf  a  mile 
off.  Ill'  took  his  gun,  imd  ventured  over  the  loose  iee.  Joe  is 
very  .«niall  and  light,  and  can  go  where  an  American  can  not. 
lie  had  no  sooner  reached  the  spot  than  we  heard  the  welcome 
sound  of  his  rifle,  lie  had  shot  a  seal,  and  called  loudly  for 
the  kyaek,  for  the  water  was  making  rapidly.  It  took  an  hour 
to  get  the  kyack  there — an  hour  of  intense  anxiety,  for  we  were 
afraid  the  seal  would  float  away;  but  at  last,  with  trouble  and 
risk,  it  was  accomplished,  and  a  nice-sized  seal,  enough  for  three 
meals,  rewarded  our  exertions.  We  shall  have  to  eat  it  raw,  but 
we  are  thankful  to  get  that.  It  will  save  us  from  starving,  per- 
haps woise. 

"The  water  is  making  quite  a  lead,  and  this  morning  at  day- 
light the  joyful  sight  of  land  greeted  our  eyes.  It  bore  to  the 
south-west.  We  saw  it  very  plainly  in  the  morning,  but  the 
weather  has  become  so  thick  since  that  we  have  lost  sight  of  it 
for  the  present.  It  is  as  if  God  had  just  raised  the  curtain  of 
mist  and  showed  us  the  promised  land  to  encourage  us  and  keep 
us  from  despair.  The  seal,  too,  has  put  new  life  in  us.  We  have 
only  a  few  pounds  of  bread  and  pemmican  left — enough  for  to- 
night. The  lead  has  closed  up  again,  but  the  'pash'  seems  to 
slacken. 

"  We  had  visitors  to-day — a  raven,  some  other  land  birds,  and 
a  large  flock  of  ducks.  I  should  think  there  was  a  hundred  and 
fifty.  I  wish  we  could  shoot  some  of  them  for  a  meal  or  two  ; 
but  they  keep  off  a  mile  or  more.  We  have  eaten  up  every 
scrap  of  that  seal,  every  thing  but  the  gall. 

"Poor  Meyers,  he  is  tall  and  very  thin.  He  has  on  his  hands 
a  monstrous  pair  of  deer-skin  gloves,  ever  so  much  too  large  for 
him.  It  looked  quite  pitiable,  though  almost  grotesquely  amus- 
ing (if  the  case  had  not  been  so  serious),  to  see  him  striving  to 
gather  up  some  bones,  once  abandoned,  to  pick  at  again  for  a 
scrap  of  meat.  The  gloves  were  so  large,  and  his  hands  so  cold, 
he  could  not  feel  when  he  had  got  hold  of  any  thing;  and  as  he 
would  raise  himself  up,  almost  toppling  over  with  weakness,  he 
found  time  and  again  that  he  had  grasped  nothing.  If  Dore  had 
wanted  a  model  subject  to  stand  for  Famine,  he  might  have  drawn 


32U  ARCTIC  EXrERIEXCES. 

Meyers  at  that  moment  and  made  a  success,  lie  was  the  most 
wretched-looking  oliject  T  ever  saw. 

^' Ertidn'j.  It  looks  very  threatening;  breezing  up  from  the 
north-east,  and  the  swell  increasing. 

^'■Aijril  20.  Blowing  strong  from  the  north-east.  There  is  a 
very  heavy  swell  under  the  ice. 

"At  9  P.M.,  while  resting  in  our  tent,  we  were  alarmed  by 
hearing  an  outcry  from  the  watch;  and  almost  at  the  same  mo- 
ment a  heavy  sea  swept  across  our  piece,  carrying  away  every 
thing  on  it  that  was  loose.  This  was  but  a  foretaste  of  what  was 
to  follow ;  immediately  we  began  shipping  sea  after  sea,  one  after 
another,  with  only  from  five  to  ten  minutes  interval  between  each. 
Finally  came  a  tremendous  wave,  carrying  away  our  tent,  skins, 
most  all  of  our  bed-clothing,  and  leaving  us  destitute.  Only  a 
few  things  were  saved,  which  we  had  managed  to  get  into  the 
boat;  the  women  and  children  were  already  in  the  boat,  or  the 
little  ones  would  certainly  have  been  swept  into  watery  graves. 
All  we  could  do  now,  under  this  new  flood  of  disaster,  was  to  try 
and  save  tlte  boat.  So  all  hands  were  called  to  man  the  boat  in  a 
new  fashion — namely,  to  hold  on  to  it  with  might  and  main,  to 
prevent  its  being  washed  away.  Fortunately,  we  had  preserved 
our  boat  warp,  and  had  also  another  strong  line,  made  out  of 
strips  of  oogjook-skin,  and  with  these  we  secured  the  boat,  as  well 
as  we  were  able,  to  projecting  vertical  points  of  ice;  but  having 
no  grapnels  or  ice-anchors,  these  fastenings  were  frequently  un- 
loosed and  broken,  and  the  boat  could  not  for  one  moment  be 
trusted  to  their  hold.  All  our  additional  strength  was  needed, 
and  we  had  to  brace  ourselves  and  hold  on  with  all  the  strength 
we  had. 

"As  soon  as  possible  I  got  the  boat,  with  the  assistance  of  the 
men,  over  to  that  edge  of  our  ice  where  the  seas  first  struck ;  for 
I  knew  if  she  remained  toward  the  farther  edge  the  srathered 
momentum  of  the  waves  as  they  rushed  over  the  ice  would  more 
than  master  us,  and  the  boat  would  go.  It  was  well  this  precau- 
tion was  taken,  for,  as  it  was,  we  were  nearly  carried  off,  boat 
and  all,  many  times  during  this  dreadful  night.  The  heaviest 
seas  came  at  intervals  of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  and  between 
these  others  that  woidd  have  been  thought  very  powerful  if 
worse  had  not  followed. 

"  There  we  stood  all  night  long,  from  9  P.M.  to  7  a.m.,  endur- 


A  FEARFUL  STRUGGLE  FOR  LIFE.  321 

ing  what  I  should  say  few,  if  any,  have  ever  gone  through  with 
and  hved.  Every  little  while  one  of  these  tremendous  seas 
would  come  and  lift  the  boat  up  bodily,  and  us  with  it,  and  car- 
ry it  and  us  forward  on  the  ice  almost  to  the  extreme  opposite 
edge  of  our  piece ;  and  several  times  the  boat  got  partly  over, 
and  was  only  hauled  back  by  the  superhuman  strength  which  a 
knowledge  of  the  desperate  condition  its  loss  would  reduce  us  to 
gave  us.  Had  the  water  been  clear,  it  would  have  been  bard 
enouirh.     But  the  sea  was  full  of  loose  ice,  rollinGf  about  in  blocks 

O  JO 

of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  and  with  almost  every  sea  would  come  an 
avalanche  of  these,  striking  us  on  our  legs  and  bodies,  and  bowl- 
ing us  off  our  feet  like  so  many  pins  in  a  bowliug-alley.  Some 
of  these  blocks  were  only  a  foot  or  two  square;  others  were  as 
large  as  an  ordinary  bureau,  and  others  larger ;  in  fact,  all  sorts 
and  sizes.  We  all  w'cre  black-and-blue  with  bruises  for  many  a 
day  after. 

'"After  each  wave  had  spent  its  strength,  sometimes  near  the 
farther  edge  and  sometimes  on  it,  we  had  then,  whenever  the 
boat  had  got  unmoored,  to  push  and  pull  and  drag  it  back  to  its 
former  position,  and  stand  ready,  bracing  ourselves  for  the  next 
sea.  and  the  battery  of  the  loose  ice  which  we  knew  would  ac- 
company it.  And  so  we  stood,  hour  after  hour,  the  sea  as  strong 
as  ever,  but  we  weakening  from  the  fatigue,  so  that  before  morn- 
ing we  had  to  make  Hannah  and  Ilans's  wife  get  out  and  help 
hold  on  too.  I  do  not  think  Mr.  ^Meyers  had  any  strength  from 
the  first  to  assist  in  holding  back  the  boat,  but  that  by  clinging 
to  it  he  simply  kept  himself  from  being  washed  away;  but  this 
was  a  time  in  which  all  did  their  best,  for  on  the  preservation  of 
the  boat  we  knew  that  our  lives  depended.  If  we  had  but  'four 
anchors,'  as  St.  Paul  describes  in  the  account  of  liis  shipwreck, 
we  could  have  '  awaited  the  day '  with  better  hojie ;  but  '  when 
neither  sun  nor  stars  appeared,  and  no  small  tempest  lay  on  us, 
all  hope  that  we  should  be  saved  was  then  taken  away ' — nearly 
all.  That  was  the  greatest  fight  for  life  we  had  yet  had.  Had 
it  not  been  for  the  strength  imparted  to  us  by  the  last  Providen- 
tial gift  of  seal-meat,  it  does  not  seem  possible  that  our  strength 
would  have  sufficod  for  the  night;  and  how  we  held  out  I  know 
not.  God  must  have  given  us  the  strength  for  the  occasion.  For 
twelve  hours  there  was  scarcely  a  sound  uttered,  save  and  ex- 
cept the  crying  of  the  children  and  my  orders  to  '  hold  on,'  '  bear 

21 


322  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

down,'  'put  on  all  jonr  weight,'  and  the  responsive  'ay,  ay,  sir,' 
which  for  once  came  readily  enough. 

'•  Daylight  came  at  last,  and  I  thankfully  perceived  a  piece  of 
ice  riding  quite  easy,  near  to  us,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  that  we 
must  reach  it.  The  sea  was  fearfully  rough,  and  the  men  hesi- 
tated, thinking  the  boat  could  not  live  in  such  a  heavy  sea.  But 
I  knew  that  the  piece  of  ice  we  were  on  was  still  more  un.safe. 
and  I  told  them  they  must  risk  it,  and  to  'launch  away!'  And 
away  she  went,  the  women  and  children  being  all  snugly  stowed 
in  first;  and  the  rest  all  succeeded  in  getting  in  safely  but  the 
cook,  who  went  overboard,  but,  managing  to  cling  hold  of  the 
gunwale  of  the  boat,  was  drairsred  in  and  saved.  Working  care- 
fully  along,  we  succeeded  in  reaching  the  piece  without  other  ac- 
cident; and  having  eaten  a  morsel  of  food,  we  laid  down  on  our 
new  bit  of  floe,  in  our  wet  clothes,  to  rest.  And  we  are  all  to 
day  well  and  sound,  except  the  bruises  we  received  from  the 
blows  and  falls. 

^^  April  21.  There  are  no  dry  clothes  for  any  one  to  put  on,  for 
every  sea  washed  over  us,  and  there  is  not  much  sun  to-day  and 
but  little  drying  in  the  air.  We  have  taken  off  all  we  can  spare 
to  try  and  dry  our  clothes. 

''The  men  are  now  divided  into  two  watches,  and  part  sleep  in 
the  boat  as  best  they  can,  stowing  themselves  here  and  there  in 
all  sorts  of  positions.  The  ice  around  us  is  ver}^  pashy  and  thick : 
we  can  not  force  the  boat  through  it,  and  so  must  wait  for  a 
change.  The  sun  showed  himself  just  long  enough  to  take  an 
observation,     Lat.  53°57'. 

^^'April  22,  The  weather  very  bad  again  last  night;  snow- 
squalls,  sleet,  and  rain ;  raining  until  twelve  noon.  The  ice  is 
closing  around  us.  What  we  want  most  now  is  food.  We  be- 
gin to  feel,  more  than  at  first,  the  exhausting  effects  of  our  over- 
strained efforts  on  the  night  of  the  19th-20th, 

■'Now,  as  I  recall  the  details,  it  seems  as  if  we  were  through 
the  whole  of  that  night  the  sport  and  jest  of  the  elements.  They 
played  with  us  and  our  boat  as  if  we  were  shuttlecocks,  ^fan 
can  never  believe,  nor  pen  describe,  the  scene  we  passed  through, 
nor  can  I  myself  believe  that  any  other  party  have  weathered 
such  a  night  and  lived.  Surely  we  are  saved  by  the  will  of  God 
alone,  and  I  suppose  for  some  good  purpose  of  his  own.  The 
more  I  think  of  it,  the  more  I  wonder  that  we  were  not  all  wash- 


rOOR  POLAR!  323 

ed  into  the  sea  together,  and  ground  up  in  the  raging  and  crush- 
insf  ice.  Yet  here  we  are,  children  and  all,  even  the  babv,  sound 
and  well — except  the  bruises.  Ilalf-drowned  we  are,  and  cold 
enough  in  our  wet  clothes,  without  shelter,  and  not  sun  enough 
to  dry  us  even  on  the  outside.  "We  have  nothing  to  eat ;  every 
thing  is  finished  and  gone.  The  prospect  looks  bad  enough; 
but  we  can  not  have  been  saved  throucfh  such  a  nisfht  to  be 

o  o 

starved  now.     God  will  send  us  some  food. 

'^Afternoon.  If  somethinsr  does  not  come  alonij  soon  I  do  not 
know  what  will  become  of  us.  Fearful  thoughts  career  through 
mv  brain  as  I  look  at  these  ei^^liteen  souls  with  not  a  mouthful 
to  eat.  Meyers  is  actually  starving.  He  can  not  last  long  in 
this  state.  Joe  has  been  off  on  the  soft  ice  a  little  way,  but  can 
not  see  any  thing.  We  ate  same  dried  skin  this  morning  that 
was  tanned  and  saved  for  clothing,  and  which  we  had  thrown 
into  the  boat  when  the  storm  first  came  on  —  tough,  and  diffi- 
cult to  sever  with  the  teeth.  Joe  ventured  off  for  the  fourth 
time,  and,  after  looking  a  while  from  the  top  of  a  hummock,  saw 
a  bear  coming  slowly  toward  us !  Joe  returned  as  fast  as  possi- 
ble for  his  gun,  all  hope  and  anxiety  lest  the  creature  should  turn 
another  way.  All  the  party  were  ordered  to  lie  down  (in  imita- 
tion of  seals),  and  keej)  perfectly  still,  while  Joe  climbed  to  the 
top  and  Hans  secreted  himself  behind  the  hummock,  both  with 
their  rifles  ready.  It  was  a  period  of  intense,  anxious  excitement. 
Food  seemed  within  our  reach  now,  but  it  might  yet  escape. 
The  bear  came  slowly  on,  thinking,  undoubtedly,  that  we  were 
seals,  and  expecting  to  make  a  good  dinner  upon  us.  A  few 
steps  more,  and  he  was  within  range  of  the  rifles;  both  fired, 
killing  him  instantly.  We  arose  with  a  shout.  The  dread  un- 
certainty was  over.  We  all  rushed  to  the  spot,  and  bending  on 
a  line,  dragged  him,  in  grateful  triumph,  over  broken  ice  tc  camp 
— 'camp'  meaning  now  our  boat  and  the  point  of  ice  where  we 
'most  do  congregate.'  Poor  Polar!  he  meant  to  dine  on  us,  but 
we  shall  dine  on  him.     God  has  sent  us  food. 

"The  blood  of  the  bear  was  exceedingly  acceptable ;  for  though 
we  had  more  water  than  enough  on  the  outside,  we  had  nothing 
to  drink,  and  were  very  thirsty.  This  bear  was  farther  to  the 
south  than  Arctic  bears  usually  come.  His  stomach  was  empty, 
and  he  was  quite  thin ;  but  his  flesh  was  all  the  better  for  that. 
When  permeated  with  f^U,  it  is  gross  feeding,  and  very  strong. 
We  had  no  hope  of  seeing  a  bear  in  this  latitude. 


324  ARCTIC  EXPEKIENCES. 

'■'April  23.  Wind  east-nortb-east,  and  later  in  the  day  nortb- 
nortb-cast,  wbere  I  bope  it  will  remain.  Tbe  weatbcr  is  still  dis- 
agreeably full  of  rain,  sexually  and  cloudy.  We  are  now  living 
entirely  on  raw  bear-meat.  Every  tbing  wet  still,  but  looking 
for  bri<fbter  davs.  Tbis  can  not  last  long  at  tbis  time  of  tbe 
year;  but  we  are  still  surrounded  by  tbis  miserable  pasb,  and 
can  not  get  free.  All  well.  Mr.  Meyers  recuperated  since  re- 
fresbed  bv  tbe  bear-meat, 

^'■Aprll  24.  Wind  still  nordi-nortb-east,  sometimes  backing  to 
tbe  nortb  ;  raining  all  lust  nigbt,  and  still  continuing;  every  tbing 
wet  tbrougb  for  several  days  now;  no  possible  means  of  drj'ing. 

"  Saw  a  large  flock  of  ducks  tbis  morning,  and  anotber  later 
in  tbe  day.  Can  not  be  far  from  land,  of  wbicb  we  get  glimpses 
now  and  tben,  wben  tbe  falling  weatber  bolds  up  a  little,  and 
tben,  again,  we  seem  to  be  driven  from  tbe  coast. 

"Tbere  w\as  a  fine  lead  of  water  last  nigbt,  and  I  tbougbt  we 
were  sfoing  to  bave  a  cbance  to  take  to  tbe  boat  and  net  to  sbore. 
but  it  soon  closed  up  again,     Anotber  lead  to-day,  but  fartber  ofi'. 

^^  April  25.  Wind  increased  to  a  gale  last  nigbt  from  tbe  nortb- 
east;  raining  all  nitrbt  and  all  dav,  "fit  was  not  for  tbe  bear- 
meat  we  sbould  bo  cbilled  to  deatb — tbat  keeps  some  beat  in  us: 
but  it  is  not  equal  to  seal-meat  for  tbat,  tbougb  it  is  tender  and 
good.  Now  and  tben,  for  variety,  we  bave  a  snow-squall.  We 
launcbed  our  boat  tbis  morning  about  five  o'clock,  determined  to 
try  and  get  to  bind,  tbougb  tbe  attempt  was  dangerous  in  tbe  ex- 
treme; for  tbe  boat  was  badl}'  damaged,  wiib  ber  struggle  on  tbe 
ice  and  otber  bard  usage.  Sbe  was  scratcbed  and  patcbed,  but 
we  bave  no  means  now  of  putting  ber  in  repair.  It  seemed  like 
putting  to  sea  in  a  cracked  bowl.     But  wbat  were  we  to  do? 

"Tbe  piece  of  ice  we  were  on  bad  wasted  away  so  mucb  tbat 
we  knew  it  coukl  never  ride  out  tbe  gale.  Tbe  danger  was  very 
great  eitber  way,  Tbe  ligbt,  overladen,  damaged  boat  looked  as 
if  sbe  would  founder;  but  tbe  ice  certainly  v;ould  before  long. 
if  not  founder,  be  broken  up  into  pasb,  aflbrding  us  not  even  a 
footbold. 

"So,  witb  tbis  cripplcnl,  overloaded  boat,  we  start,  the  wind 
blowing  a  gale,  and  a  fearful  sea  running,  full  of  smaU  ice  as  sbarp 
as  knives.  But  tbank  God  we  came  safe  tbrougb  it,  and,  after 
cifrbt  bours'  fruitless  labor  at  tbe  oars — for  we  made  no  westinsr 
— bauled  up  on  a  piece  of  floe,  and  prepared  to  camp  for  tbe 


A  BATTLE  OF  THE  BEUG«.  325 

night  It  snowed  all  night  and  this  forenoon ;  it  stopped  snow- 
ing in  the  afternoon.  We  sec  plenty  of  water  some  distance  off, 
but  can  not  get  to  it.  Can  take  no  observation,  the  sun  being 
absent,  and  know  not  how  far  we  have  drifted,  the  weather  being 
too  thick  for  me  to  recognize  the  coast.     We  are  all  well. 

^''April  28.  A  gale  of  >vind  has  sprung  up  from  the  westward, 
and  a  heavy  sea  is  running.  Water  again  washing  over  our  little 
bit  of  floe.  Had  to  stand  '  all  ready'  by  the  boat  again  all  night, 
Not  quite  so  bad  as  the  other  night,  but  had  snow-squalls  all  the* 
time,  and  the  following  forenoon.  The  ice  seeming  unsafe  from 
the  effects  of  the  gale,  we  again  launched  our  boat  at  daylight, 
but  could  get  nowhere  for  the  small  ice,  a  heavy  sea,  and  a  head 
wind  blowing  a  gale  right  in  our  teeth.  Had  to  haul  up  on  a 
piece  of  ice,  after  an  hours  exhausting  but  useless  effort.  Laid 
down  and  had  a  few  hours'  sleep  on  the  ice. 

"8.10  P.M.  Threatened  by  some  heavy  bergs  to  be  smashed  to 
pieces.  These  bergs  were  having  quite  a  battle  among  them- 
selves, and  bearing  all  the  time  right  for  us.  The  gale  has  set 
every  thing  that  can  float  moving  —  a  grand  and  awful  sight. 
The  sounds  accompanying  these  collisions  are  frightful,  combined 
with  the  roar  of  the  waves,  and  the  actual  danirer  to  such  frail 
supports  as  either  our  bit  of  floe  or  slender  boat.  Seeing  they 
were  coming  too  near,  I  called  the  watch,  and  launched  the  boat 
to  try  and  get  out  of  the  way  of  these  approaching  hostile  bergs. 
We  left  our  floe  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  ice  very 
slack,  and  more  water  than  I  have  seen  for  a  long  time. 

"Joe  shot  three  voung  bladder-nose  seals  as  we  were  coming: 
along,  and,  not  being  very  large,  we  took  them  into  the  boat. 
Hope  soon  to  see  whalers. 


326  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  joyful  Sight  I — A  Steamer  in  View. — Lost  again. — She  disappears. — Once  more 
we  seek  liest  upon  a  small  Tiece  of  Ice. — The  Hope  of  Kesciie  keeps  usa\vake. — 
Another  Steamer. — We  hoist  our  Colors,  muster  our  Fire-arms,  fire,  and  shout. — 
She  does  not  see  us. — She  falls  off. — Ke-appears. — Gone  again. — Still  another 
Steamer. — Deliverance  can  not  be  far  off. — .Vnother  Night  on  the  Ice. — Hans 
catches  a  Baby  Seal. — "There's  a  Steamer  1" — Very  Foggy,  and  we  fear  to  lose 
her. — Hans  goes  for  her  in  his  Kyack. — She  a])proaches. — We  are  saved! — All 
safe  on  board  the  Tigress. — Amusing  Questions. — A  good  Smoke  and  a  glorious 
Breakfast. — Once  more  able  "to  wash  and  be  clean." — Boarded  by  Captain  De 
Lane,  of  the  Walrus. — Meyers  slowly  recovering. — A  severe  Gale. — Six  hundred 
Seals  killed. — Captain  Bartlett  heading  for  St.  Johns. — The  Escpiiniaux  Chil- 
dren the  "Lions." — Awaithig  the  Tailor. — Going  Home  in  the  United  States 
Steamer  Fro/i'c. 

"4.30.  A  JOYFUL  sight  —  a  steamer  rio;ht  ahead  and  bearino 

O  O  C 

north  of  us!  "We  hoisted  our  colors,  and  pulled  toward  her. 
She  is  a  sealer,  going  south-west,  and  apparently  working 
through  the  ice.  For  a  few  moments  what  joy  thrilled  our 
breasts — the  sight  of  relief  so  near !  But  we  have  lost  it !  She 
did  not  see  us,  and  we  could  not  get  to  her;  evening  came  down 
on  us,  and  she  was  lost  to  sight. 

"  We  boarded,  instead  of  the  hoped-for  steamer,  a  small  piece 
of  ice,  and  once  more  hauled  up  our  boat  and  made  our  camp. 
The  night  is  calm  and  clear.  A  new  moon,  and  the  stars  shining 
brightly — the  first  we  have  seen  for  a  week.  The  sea  is  quiet 
too,  and  we  can  rest  in  peace  ;  for,  though  one  steamer  has  pass- 
ed us,  we  feel  now  that  we  may  soon  see  another — that  help  can 
not  be  far  off.  "We  take  the  blubber  of  the  seals,  and  build  fires 
on  the  floe,  so  that  if  a  steamer  or  any  vessel  approaches  us  in 
the  night  she  will  see  us. 

"  We  are  divided  into  two  watches,  of  four  hours  each.  "We 
had  a  good  pull  this  afternoon,  and  made  some  westing.  The 
hope  of  relief  keeps  us  even  more  wakeful  than  does  the  fear  of 
danger.  To  see  the  prospect  of  rescue  so  near,  though  it  was 
quickly  withdrawn,  has  set  every  nerve  thrilling  with  hope. 

'■'■April  29.  Morning  fine  and  calm ;  the  water  quiet.  All  on 
the  lookout  for  steamers,  except  those  who  had  'turned  in,'  as 
we  still  call  it.     Sighted  a  steamer  about  eight  miles  off.     Called 


A  STliA.MEli  IN  .SIGHT. 


327 


lOE-liUltT   OK  THE  TYSON   PARTY. 


the  watch,  launched  the  boat,  and  made  for  her.  After  an  hour's 
pull,  gained  on  her  a  good  deal ;  but  they  did  not  see  us.  An- 
other hour,  and  we  are  beset  in  the  ice,  and  can  get  no  farther. 

"Landed  on  a  small  piece  of  ice,  and  hoisted  our  colors;  then, 
getting  on  the  highest  part  of  the  ice,  we  mustered  our  rifles  and 
pistols,  and  all  fired  together,  hoping  by  this  means  to  attract 
their  attention.  The  combined  effort  made  a  considerable  re- 
port. We  fired  three  rounds,  and  heard  a  response  of  three 
shots;  at  the  same  time  the  steamer  headed  toward  us.  Now 
we  feel  sure  that  the  time  of  our  deliverance  has  come. 

"AVe  shout,  involuntarily  almost,  but  they  are  too  far  off  yet 
to  hear  voices.     Presently  the  steamer  changes  her  course,  and 


328  AUCTir  EXPEIUENCES. 

heads  south,  then  north  again,  then  west;  we  do  not  know  wliat 
to  make  of  it.  We  watch,  l)ut  she  does  not  get  materially  near- 
er. So  she  keeps  on  all  day,  as  though  she  was  trying  to  work 
through  the  ice,  and  could  not  force  her  wav. 

"Strange!  I  shouKl  think  any  sailing  ship,  rr.ueh  more  a 
steamer,  could  get  tluDugh  with  ease.  We  repeated  our  experi- 
ment of  firing — fired  several  rounds,  but  she  came  no  nearer,  be- 
ing then  four  or  five  miles  oft".  All  day  we  watched,  making  ev- 
ery elfort  within  our  means  to  attract  attention.  Whether  they 
saw  us  or  not  we  do  not  know,  but  late  in  the  aftern(>t)n  she 
steamed  away,  going  to  the  south-west;  and  reluctantly  we  aban- 
doned the  lu){)e  which  had  upheld  us  through  the  day.  For  a 
while  she  was  lost  to  sight,  but  in  the  evening  we  saw  her  again. 
but  farther  olf. 

'•  While  looking  at  her,  though  no  longer  with  the  hope  that 
she  had  seen  us  or  would  reach  us,  another  steamer  hove  in 
sight;  so  we  have  two  sealers  near  —  one  on  each  side  of  us. 
And  though  as  yet  neither  have  made  any  sign  (except  the  fir- 
ing in  the  morning,  the  cause  of  which  now  appears  doul>tful), 
yet  we  are  beginning  to  count  the  hours  which  we  can  not  help 
hoping  will  bring  us  help.  Some  of  these  sealers  will  surely 
come  by  us,  or  we  may  be  able  to  work  down  to  th'Mu.  What 
if  we  had  abandoned  our  boat,  as  the  men  proposed  in  February! 

'■''SuDset.  Sighted  land  this  evening  in  the  south-west,  about 
thirty-five  miles  distant.  Mr.  Meyers  thinks  we  are  in  lat.  49°. 
We  are  not  so  for  south  as  that. 

"Hans  caught  a  baby  seal  to-day.  the  smallest  I  have  seen  this 
season.     Our  latitude,  approximate  at  noon  to-day,  53°  0'  5"  N. 

"April  80.  The  last  day  of  April,  and  the  last,  I  hope,  of  our 
long  trial. 

'■'Eveiiittg.  At  5  A.M.,  as  T  was  lying  in  the  boat,  it  being  my 
watch  below,  but  which  had  just  expired,  the  watch  on  the  look- 
out espied  a  steamer  coming  through  the  fog,  and  the  first  I  heard 
was  a  loud  cry,  "  There's  a  steamer !  there's  a  steamer !'  On  hear- 
ing the  outcry,  I  sprang  up  as  if  endued  with  new  life,  ordered 
all  the  guns  to  be  fired,  and  set  up  a  loud,  simultaneous  shout; 
also  ordered  the  colors  set  on  the  boat's  mast,  and  held  them 
erect,  fearing  that,  like  the  others,  she  might  not  see  or  hear  us, 
though  much  nearer  than  the  others  had  been. 

"I  also  started  Hans  off  with  his  kyack,  which  he  had  himself 


ALL  SAF1-:  ON  IJUAUD  TIIK  TKJUKSS.  331 

proposed  to  do,  to  intercept  her,  if  possible,  as  it  was  very  foggy, 
and  I  feared  every  moment  that  we  should  lose  sight  of  her;  but, 
to  my  great  joy  and  relief,  the  steamer's  head  was  soon  turned  to- 
ward us.  But  Hans  kept  on,  and  paddled  uj)  to  the  vessel,  sing- 
ing out,  in  his  broken  English,  the  unmeaning  words,  'American 
steamer;'  meaning  to  tell  them  that  an  American  steamer  had 
been  lost,  and  he  tried  to  tell  them  where  we  came  from ;  but 
they  did  not  understand  him.  We  were  not  more  than  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  off  when  we  first  sighted  her.  In  a  few  minutes 
she  was  alongside  of  our  piece  of  ice, 

"  On  her  approach,  and  as  they  slowed  down,  I  took  off  my  old 
Russian  cap,  which  1  had  worn  all  winter,  and,  waving  it  over  my 
head,  gave  them  three  cheers,  in  which  all  the  men  most  heartily 
joined.  It  was  instantly  returned  by  a  hundred  men,  who  cov- 
ered her  top-gallant-mast,  forecastle,  and  fore  rigging.  We  then 
gave  three  more  and  a  'tiger,'  which  was  appropriate,  surely,  as 
she  proved  to  be  the  sealer  Tvjress — a  barkentinc  of  Conception 
Bay,  Newfoundland. 

"  Two  or  three  of  their  small  seal-boats  were  instantly  lowered. 
We,  however,  now  that  relief  was  certain,  threw  every  thing  from 
our  own  boat,  and  in  a  minute's  time  she  was  in  the  water,  while 
the  boats  of  the  Tifjress  came  on,  and  the  crews  got  on  our  bit 
of  ice  and  peeped  curiously  into  the  dirty  pans  we  had  used  over 
the  oil-fircs.  We  had  been  making  soup  out  of  the  blood  and 
entrails  of  the  last  little  seal  which  Hans  had  shot.  They  soon 
saw  enough  to  convince  them  that  we  were  in  sore  need.  No 
words  were  required  to  make  tltat  plain. 

"Taking  the  women  and  children  in  their  boats,  we  tumbled 
into  our  own,  and  were  soon  alongside  of  the  Tigress.  We  left 
all  we  had  behind,  and  our  all  was  simply  a  few  battered  smoky 
tin  pans  and  the  (.Uhris  of  our  last  seal.  It  had  already  become 
offal  in  our  eyes,  though  we  had  often  been  glad  enough  to  get 
such  fare. 

"  On  stepping  on  board,  I  was  at  once  surrounded  by  a  curious 
lot  of  people  —  I  mean  men  filled  with  curiosity  to  know  ouv 
story,  and  all  asking  questions  of  me  and  the  men.  I  told  them 
who  I  was,  and  where  we  were  from.  But  when  they  asked  me, 
'How  long  have  you  been  on  the  ice?'  and  I  answered,  'Since 
the  15th  of  last  October,'  they  were  so  astonished  that  they  fair- 
ly looked  blank  with  wonder. 


332  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

'•  One  of  the  party,  looking  at  me  with  open-eyed  surprise,  ex- 
ck.imed, 

"  'And  icasyou  on  it  night  anddaij?'' 

"  The  peculiar  expression  and  tone,  with  the  absurdity  of  the 
question,  was  too  much  for  my  politeness.  I  laughed  in  spite  of 
myself,  and  my  long  unexercised  risibles  thrilled  with  an  un- 
wonted sensation. 

"At  this  time  the  captain  came  along  and  invited  me  down 
into  the  cabin,  I  then  told  him  that  there  was  another  officer 
in  the  party — Mr.  Meyers,  of  the  Scientific  Department — and  he 
then  invited  him  also  to  the  cabin. 

"  We  had  been  sitting  talking  of  our  '  wonderful,'  or,  as  he 
called  it,  'miraculous'  escape,  some  half  an  hour.  I  was  very 
hungry,  having  eaten  nothing  since  the  night  before,  and  I  want- 
ed a  smoke  so  much  ;  but  I  saw  no  signs  of  either  food  or  tobacco. 
So  I  finally  asked  him  if  he  would  give  me  a  pipe  and  some  to- 
bacco. 

"  He  said  he  '  did  not  smoke.' 

"  However,  I  soon  procured  both  from  one  of  his  officers,  and 
had  a  good  long  smoke — the  first  I  had  had  since  Joe  gave  nn.' 
the  two  pipefuls,  one  of  those  dreary  days  in  our  snow-hut.  In 
course  of  time  breakfast  came  along  —  codfish,  potatoes,  hard 
bread,  and  coffee ! 

"Never  in  my  life  did  I  enjoy  a  meal  like  that;  plain  as  it 
was,  I  shall  never  forget  that  codfish  and  potatoes.  Ko  subse- 
quent meal  can  ever  eclipse  this  to  my  taste,  so  long  habituated 
to  raw  meat,  with  all  its  uncleanly  accessories. 

"  On  hoard  the  Tigress^  May  1.  Captain  Bartlett  has  all  his  boats 
down  this  morning,  sealing.  Numbers  of  seals  are  to  be  seen 
lying  on  the  ice.  We  see  also  two  other  steamers  not  far  off"  en- 
gaged in  the  same  business.  Joe  has  joined  in  with  them,  and  is 
in  all  his  glory.  Captain  Bartlett  spoke  one  of  these  steamers 
last  night,  so  that,  should  they  arrive  home  before  us,  the  captain 
will  telegraph  the  news  of  our  rescue  home.  God  bless  the  good 
and  kind  Captain  Bartlett !  He  is  very  kind  indeed ;  so  are  all 
the  ship's  company.  ■ 

"  How  stransre  it  seems  to  lie  down  at  night  in  these  ^.lua; 
quarters,  and  feel  that  I  have  no  more  care,  no  responsibility. 
To  be  once  more  clean — what  a  comfort! 

"  We  were  picked  up  in  latitude  oS"^  35'  N.     I  have  learned 


MYERS  SLOWLY  RECOVERING.  333 

that  the  steamer  we  saw  on  the  29tli  ult.  was  the  Earjle^  belong- 
ing to  St.  Johns,  Captain  Jackman.  Captain  Bartlett  says  he 
could  not  have  seen  us,  or  ho  would  have  come  for  us,  or,  if  he 
could  not,  he  would  have  stood  by,  or  in  some  way  tried  to  save 
us  ;  that  he  was  noted  for  his  humanity,  and  had  more  than  once 
received  medals  for  saving  life  in  these  waters.  I  am  glad  to 
know  this. 

'■J/('_y2.  There  is  a  strong  breeze  from  the  north-east  this 
morning.  Many  seals  in  sight  on  the  ice,  but  on  the  approach 
of  the  steamer  they  instantly  take  to  the  water.  Three  more 
steamers  are  now  in  sight. 

"  Captain  Delane,  of  the  steamer  Walrus,  came  on  board  of 
the  Tl'jress  to-day.  He  was  as  much  surprised  as  the  others  had 
been  on  hearing  my  statements.  As  he  is  likely  to  return  home 
before  us,  he  wull  probably  telegraph  the  news  home  this  even- 
ing,    "Wish  I  could  get  a  telegram  from  home  to-night. 

"It  is  blowing  a  gale  from  the  north-east,  and  snowing;  but 
it  is  so  comfortable  in  this  snug  little  cabin,  that  it  is  almost 
pleasant  to  know  that  there  is  a  storm  outside,  and  that  we  are 
sheltered  from  it — that  it  may  rage  without,  but  can  not  reach  us. 

"  Mr.  Meyers  is  slowly  recovering.  lie  could  not  have  lasted 
much  longer  on  the  ice. 

"  The  boat  which  has  carried  us  so  far,  and  has  served  us  for 
store-house  and  home  orx  the  floe-bits,  I  have  made  a  present  to 
the  captain's  son  —  a  fine  young  man  here  on  board.  When 
obliged  to  leave  the  floe,  I  had  her  fitted  up  with  canvas  wash- 
boards, to  keep  out  the  water.  These  the  men,  true  to  their  na- 
ture, have  commenced  destroying.  So,  to  save  her  from  further 
mutilaiion.  I  have  given  her  away;  but  she  is  badly  worn,  and 
of  little  use  to  any  body. 

''Xo  one,  unless  they  have  been  deprived  of  civilized  food  and 
cooking  as  long  as  I  have,  can  begin  to  imagine  how  good  a  cup 
of  coffee,  with  bread  and  butter^  tastes.  When  I  look  back  at 
what  we  have  passed  through,  I  fairly  shudder  at  the  recollection. 

"J/ay3.  The  gale  has  been  very  violent  through  the  night, 
and  still  continues.  The  good  steamer  thumps  bravely  against 
the  ice.  Captain  Bartlett  this  morning  steamed  to  the  westward, 
to  escape  the  swell.  He  says  it  is  the  heaviest  gale  he  has  expe- 
rienced this  season.  Could  we  have  outlived  it  had  we  remained 
exposed? 


334  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

^^Eveniufj.  The  gale  continues  with  unabated  violence.  The 
captain  has  been  steaming  to  the  south-west  all  day,  to  get  clear 
of  the  swell  which  is  running  under  the  ice. 

"M/^  4.  The  sun  shines  brightly  this  morning,  and  the  wind 
has  hauled  to  the  west,  blowing  strong  and  quite  cold.  Captain 
Bartlett  tells  me  that  he  has  not  experienced  any  thing  like  it 
through  March  or  April.  We  are  now  fast  in  the  ice,  under 
which  there  is  a  slight  swell  runninof.  Our  latitude  at  noon  was 
53°  27'  N.  How  we  would  have  fared  on  the  ice  throughout 
this  long,  cold  gale,  I  know  not.  It  is  the  general  opinion  on 
board  that  we  should  have  perished,  being  so  near  the  ocean. 
But  He  that  guided  us  so  far  was  still  all-powerful  to  save. 

"  There  is  no  steamer  in  sight  to-day.  Captain  Bartlett  thinks 
of  returning  home  soon.     I  hope  he  will,  for  I  feel  sadly  worn. 

"J/a^  5.  We  had  a  light  fall  of  snow  this  morning.  But  in 
the  afternoon  it  cleared  of!',  with  a  light  southerly  wind.  The  ice 
remains  close  and  compact  around  us — the  ocean  not  far  oft". 
Can  see  four  steamers  in  that  direction  now.  Nearly  all  the 
ship's  company  are  off,  with  gun  and  gaff-book,  after  seals.  Saw 
some  four  or  five  miles  to  the  east. 

"  I  had  the  pleasure  last  evening  of  attending  divine  service. 
It  was  a  pleasure  to  me  to  see  the  rough  men  attend  so  respectfully 
to  the  good  old  captain  while  he  read  the  Episcopal  service.  The 
boys  and  most  of  the  men  kneel  nightly  in  prayer.  The  Episco- 
pal service  has  this  advantage,  that  it  can  be  used  with  sincerity 
and  devotion  by  men  in  circumstances  where,  perhaps,  no  one 
would  feel  competent  to  lead  their  companions  in  extempore  ex- 
ercises. And  there  can  always  be  found  in  that  Prayer-book  a 
prayer  which  will  suit  the  circumstances.  To  any  one  who  has 
been  deprived  of  united  leligious  exercises  for  sixteen  or  eighteen 
months,  it  is  indeed  refreshing  to  hear  the  grand  old  prayers  of 
the  Church  read  by  lips  that  you  know  are  sincere  and  true. 

"  May  6.  It  is  blowing  strong  from  the  north ;  snow-squalls 
and  cold  weather.  The  crew  of  the  Tigress  did  not  get  on  board 
till  midnight,  but  they  had  killed  about  six  hundred  seals.  The 
Newfoundland  sealers  have  learned  of  late  years  to  stow  seal-skin 
cargoes  better  than  they  used  to.  I  have  heard  old  sealers  tell  of 
having  to  abandon  their  ships  from  the  oil  making  in  the  hold, 
and  rising  so  as  to  flood  not  only  the  forecastle,  but  the  cabin ;  for 
oil  will  work  through  any  thing. 


CAPTAIN  BAKTLETT  BOUND  FOR  IIUME.  335 

"After  stripping  the  seals,  instead  of  trying  the  oil  out  im- 
mediately, they  used  to  put  the  skins  containing  all  the  blubber 
loose  in  the  hold,  and  sometimes,  if  they  met  with  continued 
rough  weather  and  storms,  the  skins  would  shift  and  roll  about, 
so  as  to  work  out  the  oil,  and  the  oil,  of  course,  being  lighter  than 
the  skins,  would  rise  and  work  through  as  described.  Cargoes 
would  be  spoiled,  and  sometimes  the  vessel  too.  But  after  a  while 
they  learned  better.  It  is  now  their  custom,  if  try-works  are  not 
set  up,  to  lay  the  skins  compactly,  and  secure  them  from  shifting 
by  stakes  and  beams  properly  fixed.  The  seal-fishery  is  of  great 
value  to  the  United  States,  and  ought  to  be  encouraged.  Seal- 
oil  is  excellent  for  light-house  lamp.s. 

"This  morning  the  captain  forced  his  vessel  to  where  the  dead 
seals  were,  but  oidy  succeeded  in  getting  between  two  and  three 
hundred  out  of  the  si.x  which  his  men  had  killed.  The  greater 
]iart  had  been  taken  by  another  steamer  belonging  to  St.  Johns, 
Newfoundland. 

"I  regret  to  record  that  the  captain's  son  injured  his  hand  by 
the  premature  discharge  of  a  Kemington  rifle  —  one  that  was 
brought  on  board  by  the  Esquimaux. 

"JAr/  7.  Captain  Bartlett  has  concluded  to  go  home.  We 
have  been  going  south  since  morning.  It  is  cloudy,  with  a 
strong  breeze  from  the  north,  and  snowing.  Several  of  our  men 
are  complaining;  two  are  down  sick;  Joe  and  Hannah  are  also 
ill.  Both  ]\[r.  ^fevers  and  myself  are  troubled  with  swollen  feet 
and  ankles.     Mr.  ^feyers's  hands  are  frozen,  and  need  attention. 

"  M<oi  8.  The  breeze  is  still  strong  from  the  north.  Cloudy 
this  morning.  Sighted  Fogo  Island,  one  hundred  and  thirty 
miles  from  St.  Johns. 

"Owing  to  a  defect  in  one  of  the  boilers,  we  have  been  run- 
ning under  canvas.  Should  the  weather  prove  fiivorable,  we 
shall  get  to  St.  Johns  to-morrow.  We  have  all  been  troubled, 
since  coming  on  board,  with  colds,  swollen  feet,  sore-throat?.,  and 
rheumatism ;  but  my  appetite  is  good,  and  I  somewhat  astonish 
our  good  captain  by  my  able  performance  at  table. 

"Captain  Bartlett  altered  his  mind  during  the  night,  and,  in- 
stead of  going  to  St.  Johns,  he  put  in  to  Conception  Bay,  some 
thirty -five  miles  north  of  St.  Johns.  lie  will  stay  here  until 
Monday,  landing  the  boats  and  sealing-gear  and  various  things 
from  his  vessel,  preparing  her  to  be  hauled  out  at  St.  Johns  for 


S'66  AKCTIC  KXl'LUILNCES. 

repairs.    The  particular  port  or  harbor  where  we  landed  is  called 
Bay  Koberts. 

"J/"'/  S.  While  dining  on  shore  with  tiie  captain  to-day,  we 
were  visited  bv  the  American  consul  ol'  Harbor  Grace.  We  trave 
liim  the  particulars  of  our  journey  ou  the  ice,  to  telegraph  to  Mr. 
Molloy,  our  consul  at  St.  Johns. 

"I  have  furnished  the  crew  with  quarters  on  shore  with  Mr. 
J.  Kelpanj,  who  is  very  kind  to  them,  and  has  taken  them  out 
riding  to  see  the  country — those  who  are  able  to  go.  They  are 
all  nioie  or  less  complaining,  and  several  of  them  sick.  They 
will  remain  on  shore  till  the  vessel  is  ready  to  start.  The  consul 
here  furnished  mc  with  sixteen  dollars  to  divide  among  the  crew. 

'"J/"// 10.  Fine  weather.  Captain  Bartlett  is  busy  lightening 
his  vesijcl,  preparing  her  for  hauling  on  to  the  ways.  I  have  re- 
ceived many  kind  invitations  to  visit  the  shore,  but  not  feeling 
well,  and  not  being  suitably  clothed,  they  are  of  course  declined. 

'■" Sii,,i.hi;/.  Mi.nj  ii.  A  bright,  beautiful  day.  Pressing  invita- 
tions to  iline  on  shore  are  sent  to  me  from  many  quarters;  all  of 
which  I  decline,  for  reasons  named  above.  Besides,  I  feel  little 
inclineil  to  mix  in  general  company  at  present.  But  I  appreciate 
the  good  feeling  which  dictates  the  invitations. 

''Caj)tain  Bartlett's  wife  sent  me  a  basket  of  apples  this  morn- 
ing :  quite  a  present  here,  and  very  acceptable.  Apples  must 
be  very  .scarce  here  at  this  time  of  the  year.  I  have  been  jotting 
down  a  i'ew  dates,  and  making  iif'iiiii.  bv  which  1  mav  be  able  to 
reconstruct  my  lost  journal  in  case  the  Po/an's  is  abandoned. 

"  J/"// 12.  It  is  a  splendid  morning.  0  a.m.,  I  am  waiting  pa- 
tiently lor  the  captain  and  crew  to  come  on  board,  and  get  under 
way  for  St.  Johns.  I  wish  once  more  to  get  clean  clothes  on  me, 
to  get  j)ro)ierly  shaved,  and  thoroughly  cleaned.  Many  persons 
from  Harbor  Grace  were  on  board  yesterday,  to  see  the  men  who 
had  drifted  fifteen  hundred  miles  on  the  ice. 

"The  Esquimaux  and  their  families,  aVi'l  all  of  the  men,  are 
troubled  with  heaw  colds,  swollen  feet  and  less,  since  coming  on 
board.     It  is  the  scurvv  coming  out. 

"8.3.")  A.M.  We  are  under  way.  Several  lady  passengers  are 
on  board,  on  their  way  to  St.  Johns.  We  have  a  southerly  wind 
and  fine  weather.  Arrived  at  St.  Johns  at  8  p.m.  Crowds  of 
peojile  on  the  wharf,  to  sec  the  waifs  who  have  drifted  so  far  ou 
the  ice.     The  Escjuimaux  children  attract  much  attention,  espe- 


_.  '     lll'J..  .1  i.. .  II 1 1 ' :  I .'    ..'. !1 


l^_''L'li..LL*luU 


THE  Es'iUIMAUX  CHILDREN  THE  "LIUNS."  339 

cially  the  baby,  Charlie  Polaris.  Collections  of  money  were  con- 
stantly be'ng  made  by  successive  visitors  to  the  Tojrea'i^  for  the 
benefit  of  these  little  ones.  The  American  consul,  Mr.  Molloy, 
was  soon  on  board,  and  appears  ready  to  do  any  thing  and  every 
thing  for  our  comfort. 

"The  men  are  already  (8.30  a.m.)  a.shore,  and  I  hope  provided 
for.  Mr.  Meyers  and  I  remain  on  board,  awaiting  the  tailor  to 
make  us  presentable. 

'•  J/jy  13.  Cloudy;  wind  easterly.  The  harbor  of  St.  Jolms  is 
full  of  drifting  ice  and  bergs  in  sight.  This  afternoon  received  a 
telegraphic  dispatch  from  Messrs.  Harper  &  Brothers,  requesting 
a  photographic  group  of  our  party  for  the  Weekly.  Have  also  re- 
ceived a  dispatch  from  Mr:  Kobeson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  or- 
dering me  to  take  charge  of  the  men  and  of  the  Esquimaux  on 
their  passage  home. 

^'May  1-i.  The  consul  has  furnished  all  necessary  funds  for  new 
outfits,  etc.,  for  the  men ;  and  whatever  !\rr.  Meyers  and  myself 
required  to  draw  on  him  for  was  promptly  responded  to. 

"  Many  ladies  call  at  the  hotel  to  see  Joe,  Hannah,  and  the  child, 
who  are  stopping  with  us — some  knew  of  them  before,  through 
Captain  Ilall's  book.  Ilans  and  family  are  stopping  in  a  house 
opposite.  Many  go  to  see  them  also;  and  almost  every  one  asks. 
'  IIow  she  took  care  of  the  baby  on  the  ice  ?' 

"  It  is  little  care  Esquimaux  babies  get.  They  are  pulled  out 
of  the  hood  for  nursing,  and  not  much  else ;  the  only  washing 
they  get  is  such  as  a  cat  administers  to  a  kitten;  and,  while  in 
the  hood,  they  have  no  clothes  on. 

"  I  have  been  obliged  to  prohibit  visitors  to  the  Esquimaux. 
Most  of  the  children  are  sick,  partly  from  the  effects  of  cakes  and 
candies  given  them  by  visitors — things  they  are  not  used  to,  and 
can  not  bear  all  at  once  in  profusion,  after  such  diffeienc  diet. 
They  all  need  rest  and  quiet. 

'■'■May  16.  Many  visitors  to-day.  The  governor's  wife,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Oliphant,  and  many  other  distinguished  gentlemen  and 
ladies,  came  to  see  us. 

"Eeceived  the  intelligence  that  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  has 
ordered  the  United  States  steamship  Frolic  to  come  for  us  to  St. 
Johns,  and  convey  us  direct  to  Washington. 

"  I  shall  always  remember  the  kindness  of  Captain  Bartlett  and 
the  people  of  St.  Johns.  And  thus  ends  our  strange,  eventful  his- 
tory." 


340  AKCTIC  EXrEUIENCES. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE   SEARCH   FOR  THE   POLARIS,  AND   THE   SURVIVORS  OF  THE 

EXPEDITION. 

The  News  of  the  Rescue. — Captain  Tyson  and  Party  arrive  at  Washington. — Board 
of  Inquiry  organized. — Testimony  given  as  to  lax  Discipline. — The  Juniata,  Com- 
mander Braine,  dispatched,  with  Coal  and  .Stores,  to  Disco. — Captain  James  Bud- 
dington,  Ice-pilot. — Ca))tain  Braine's  Interview  with  Inspector  Karrup  .Smith,  of 
North  Greenland. — Juniata  at  Upernavik. — Small  Steam-launch. — Little  Juniata 
essays  to  cross  Melville  Bay. — Rejielled  by  the  Ice. — President  Grant  in  Council 
with  ]Members  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences. — Purchase  of  the  Tigress. — 
Description  of  the  Vessel. — Necessary  Alterations. — List  of  Officers. — CajJtaiu  Ty- 
son Acting  Lieutenant  and  Ice-pilot. — A  Reporter  to  the  New  York  Herald  ships 
as  ordinary  Seaman. — Es(iuimau  Joe  ships  as  Interpreter. — Several  Seamen  be- 
longing to  the  Ice-floe  Company  ship  in  the  Tigress. — Extra  Equipments. 

When  the  first  news  of  the  rescue  of  the  weary  waifs  of  the 
ice  flotilla  was  flashed  over  the  wires  from  Newfoundland,  a  thrill 
of  mingled  astonishment  and  incredulity  swept  through  the  com- 
munity ;  but  to  those  who  put  faith  in  the  first  telegram  sorrow 
for  the  death  of  Captain  Hall  was  added  to  the  first  emotion  of 
surprise.  It  seemed  almost  incredible  that  nineteen  persons,  in- 
cluding women  and  small  children,  with  a  babe  of  two  months 
old,  could  possibly  survive  a  journey  of  six  months  through  the 
darkness  and  cold  of  an  Arctic  winter.  The  telegram  was  brief, 
and  read  thus: 

St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  May  9, 1S73. 
The  English  whaling-ship  Walrus  has  just  arrived,  and  reports  that  the  steamer 
Tigress  picked  up  on  the  ice  at  Grady  Harbor,  Labrador,  on  the  30th  of  April  last, 
fifteen  of  the  crew  and  five  of  the  Esquimaux  of  the  steamer  Polaris,  of  the  Arctic 
expedition.  Captain  Hall  died  last  summer.  The  Tigress  is  hourly  expected  at  St. 
Johns. 

Even  after  the  general  outline  of  the  story  had  been  given, 
with  cufficient  details  to  convince  any  reasonable  person  that  it 
could  not  be  a  fabrication,  Arctic  experts  were  found  who  pro- 
nounced the  story  '  impossible '  and  '  ridiculous.'  So  wonderful 
was  the  preservation,  and  so  fearful  the  difficulties  to  be  over- 
come, that  some  of  those  who  knew  those  regions  best  were  the 
last  to  be  convinced  of  the  truth. 


BOARD  OF  IXyUIHY  ORGANIZED.  341 

Tmmediatcly  on  receipt  of  the  news,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
dispatched  the  United  States  steamship  Frolic^  Commander 
Schoonmaker,  to  the  port  of  St.  Johns,  with  orders  to  bring  all 
the  survivors  to  Washington. 

On  the  27th  of  May,  Captain  Tyson,  with  the  whole  of  the 
rescued  party,  went  on  board  the  Frolic,  which  sailed  on  the  next 
day,  arriving  at  Washington  on  the  afternoon  of  the  5th  of  June. 
In  his  official  re})ort,  Commander  Schoonmaker  speaks  particu- 
larly of  the  favorable  impression  produced  upon  him  by  Captain 
Tyson. 

At  once  a  board  of  inquiry  was  organized  on  board  of  the 
United  States  steamship  Tallapoom,  composed  of  Commodore 
William  Keynolds,  the  senior  officer  of  the  Navy  Department. 
Professor  Spencer  F.  Baird,  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sci- 
ences, and  Captain  11.  W.  Ilowgate,  of  the  Signal  Service  Corps, 
and  presided  over  by  the  lion.  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  George 
M.  Kobeson,  and  an  examination  of  all  the  adults  of  the  rescued 
party  took  place  (except  Ilans's  wife,  who  can  not  speak  English). 
As  the  painful  details  were  revealed  in  the  plain,  unvarnished 
tale  of  Captain  Tyson  and  the  rest,  incredulity  as  to  the  main 
facts  was  no  longer  possible,  while  still  the  wonder  grew  at  the 
miraculous  preservation  of  the  party. 

On  the  examination  it  was  learned  that,  when  the  vessel  was 
separated  from  the  floe,  there  was  left  on  board  of  the  Polaris 
fourteen  persons: 

Captain  Sidney  O.  Buddington,  sailing-master ;  Dr.  Erail  Bessel,  chief  of  the  Sci- 
entific Corps  :  R.  W.  D.  Bryan,  astronomer  and  chaplain ;  II.  C.  Chester,  first  mate ; 
William  Morton,  second  mate  ;  Emil  Schuman,  chief  engineer ;  A.  A.  Odell,  second 
engineer ;  W.  F.  Campbell,  fireman ;  John  W.  Booth  and  N.  .J.  Coffin,  carpenters ; 
Jos.  B.  Mauch,  Herman  Sieman,  Henry  Hobby,  and  Noah  Hays,  seamen. 

The  Polaris  was  also  reported  to  be  in  a  leaking  condition.  Six 
persons,  including  Captain  Tvson  and  Mr.  Meyers,  testified  to  the 
drinking  habits  of  Captain  Buddington,  and  all  the  rest  to  the 
lack  of  discipline  in  the  vessel  under  him,  and  several  to  the  fact 
of  his  having  expressed  himself  "relieved,"  and  having  "a  stone 
taken  off  his  heart,"  by  the  event  of  Captain  Ilall's  death. 

Others  threw  a  doubt  over  the  cause  of  the  commander's 
death,  which  Dr.  Bessel  had  pronounced  apoplexy.  Six  days 
were  occupied  in  the  examination  of  these  parties,  and  the  result 
was  that  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  decided  to  send  out  immedi- 


;^42 


ARCTIC  EXrEIilENCES. 


atcly  a  relieving  party  to  search  for  and  bring  back  the  remnant 
of  the  Pubrris  expedition.  While  negotiations  were  pending  for 
a  suitable  vessel  to  send  on  the  search,  the  head  of  the  Naval  De- 
partment utilized  the  intervening  time  by  sending  forward  the 
United  States  steamship  Juniata,  Commander  Braine,  to  form  a 
depot  of  supplies  on  the  coast  of  Greenland,  with  orders  there  to 
await  the  coming  of  the  relief  party. 


THE  JUNIATA. 


l^he  Juniata  took  with  them  a  small  steam-launch  about  thirty- 
two  feet  in  length,  for  the  use  of  parties  penetrating  the  fiords  and 
small  inlets  along  the  coast,  Commander  Braine  and  his  whole 
party  entering  with  commendable  zeal  upon  the  duty  of  making 
preliminary  search,  so  far  as  their  means,  inexperience,  and  limit- 
ed orders  permitted.  On  board  of  the  Juniata  was  Captain  James 
Buddington,  an  uncle  of  Sidney  O.  Buddington,  the  missing  cap- 
tain of  the  Polaris;  the  former  sailed  in  the  capacity  of  ice-pilot 
to  the  Juniata.  This  vessel  was  a  screw-propeller  of  some  eight 
hundred  tons;  and  on  account  of  her  size,  which  exposed  her  to 
great  risks  on  the  imperfectly  charted  coast  of  Greenland,  and 
the  fact  that  she  was  not  built  to  contend  with  Arctic  ice-packs, 
she  was  ordered  to  remain  at  Disco,  or,  at  the  farthest,  Upernavik, 
whence  it  was  hoped  news  might  be  received  of  the  missing  party. 

^^^Q  Juniata  arrived  at  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  early  in  July, 
making  the  run  from  New  York  in  five  days  and  eighteen  hours. 


TIIK  JUNIATA  AT  Ul'EUNAVIK.  343 

While  lying  in  harbor  there,  some  extra  iron  sheathing  was  put 
oil  lier  bows  to  strengthen  her,  as  she  would  necessarily  meet 
more  or  less  ice,  even  in  getting  to  Disco.  The  steum- launch 
wi's  also  partially  iron-clad. 

The  Jnniuta  left  St.  Johns  on  the  lltli  of  July,  and  reached 
Ilolstcinborg  on  the  21st,  having  touched  at  Fiscanaes  and 
Sukkertopj)en.  At  Ilolstcinborg  dogs  for  sledges  and  seal-skins 
for  clothing  were  purchased  iov  the  use  of  the  searching  party 
expected  to  arrive.  From  Ilolstcinborg  the  Juniald  went  to 
Disco,  and  from  thence  to  Upernavik,  which  she  reached  on  the 
81st  of  July.  Here  Commander  Braine  learned  from  the  in- 
spector, ^[r.  Karrup  Smith,  that  be  had  in  his  possession  certain 
records  of  Captain  Hall's  (referred  to  in  Captain  Tyson's  journal), 
relating  to  his  search  for  Sir  John  Franklin.  Inspector  Smith 
stated  that  Captain  llall  had  fears  that  he  might  not  return,  and 
wished  these  records  preserved.  Considering  Commander  Braine 
a  proper  custodian,  Mr.  Smith  transferred  the  records  to  his  care. 

While  the  Juniata  remained  at  anchor  at  Upernavik,  the 
^•^im-launch,  the  LMe  Juniata,  was  brought  into  use.     She  was 

>visioned  and  coaled  for  two  months,  and  a  party  of  eight — 
olunteers,  under  Lieutenant  De  Long,  and  the  ice-pilot — 
J  off  on  a  searching  trip  on  the  2d  of  August,  reaching 
'.tcst:ac  the  next  day ;  and,  without  special  event,  made  the  Duck 
Islands  on  the  evening  of  the  -ith.  Pushing  on  to  Wilcox  Point, 
they  encountered  some  pack-ice,  and  their  fuel  getting  short,  they 
worked  up,  under  sail,  across  Melville  Bay,  until  within  sight  of 
Cape  York,  when  first  a  heavy  fog  and  then  a  severe  gale  com- 
pelled their  return,  and  on  the  11th  of  August  they  were  back  at 
Tossac.  Considering  that  nearly  all  of  this  little  party  were  new 
to  Arctic  scenes,  and  inexperienced  in  the  peculiar  dangers  and 
difficulties  of  navigation  in  the  ice-beset  waters  of  Melville  Bay 
and  vicinity,  we  can  not  forbear  our  meed  of  praise  for  the  cour- 
age and  perseverance  displayed  under  such  novel  circumstances. 

From  the  first  inception  of  the  Polaris  expedition,  President 
Grant  had  taken  much  interest  in  all  that  related  to  it,  and  after 
the  close  of  the  official  examination  of  the  ice-floe  party  by  the 
Board  of  Inquiry,  the  President  held  a  consultation  with  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  subsequently  a  conference  was  held 
with  President  Henry,  Professor  Spencer  F.  Baird,  Professor 
Ililgarde,  of  the  Coast  Survey  Office,       '  "^  ofessor  Newcomb, 


344  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

of  the  Naval  Observatory,  for  the  purpose  of  devising  a  more 
thorough  search  than  the  Juniata  could  make  for  the  rescue  of 
the  remainder  of  the  Polaris  party.  All  the  gentlemen  above 
named  were  members  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences, 
which  had  furnished  instructions  to  the  Scientific  Corps  of  the 
Polaris.  The  result  of  this  consultation  was,  that  the  President 
authorized  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  purchase  the  steam- 
sealer  Ti'jress,  and  to  fit  her  up  for  a  thorough  search  in  the  Arc- 
tie  seas  for  Captain  Buddington  and  his  companions. 

The  Tbjress  was  bought  for  sixty  thousand  dollars,  with  the 
privilege  granted  her  owners  of  repurchasing  her  from  the 
United  States  at  the  reduced  price  of  forty  thousand.  She  'vas 
a  Canadian  vessel,  built  at  Quebec  in  1871,  expressly  for  the 
sealing  trade,  and  was  rated  at  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons, 
though  her  carrying  capacity  was  something  over  that.  It  was 
the  supposed  strength  of  the  vessel,  and  her  peculiar  adaptation 
to  the  Arctic  regions,  which  induced  the  Government  to  pur- 
chase her,  instead  of  employing  one  of  the  vessels  lying  idle  in 
the  Navy  Yards.  Her  build  differs  from  ordinary  vessels  prin- 
cipally in  her  keel  lines  and  deck  sheer ;  her  bow  makes  a  very 
acute  angle ;  her  cutwater  is  flat,  and  widens  srraduallv  below  her 
water-line.  In  other  words,  she  flares  more  than  is  usual,  which 
enables  her  to  rise  upon  the  floe-ice,  breaking  it  through  by  sheer 
weight.  As  originally  built,  she  was  very  strong.  Her  sides 
forward,  for  a  distance  of  twenty  feet,  were  over  three  feet  thick, 
and  for  twelve  feet  she  was  incased  in  half-inch  iron ;  her  whole 
frame  was  iron-braced,  and  covered  with  a  sheathing  of  wood ; 
while  still  further  to  strengthen  her  against  the  force  of  the  ice- 
packs,  there  was  fixed  inside  at  her  water-line  a  number  of  heavy 
beams  running  from  rib  to  rib.  In  most  respects  she  was  as 
good  a  vessel  as  could  be  found  ready-made  for  the  purpose  in- 
tended ;  but,  unfortunately,  her  boilers  were  made  for  soft  coal, 
and  consequently  her  flue-room  was  too  contracted  to  burn  an- 
thracite; and  as  the  Juniata  had  carried  nothing  but  hard  coal 
to  deposit  at  Disco  for  the  use  of  the  Tigress^  this  arrangement 
had  to  be  altered.  After  a  short  trial-trip  the  vessel  was  brought 
to  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  where  the  necessary  alterations 
were  made.  Her  cabin  was  enlarged,  and  two  deck-houses  con- 
structed, to  accommodate  the  necessary  number  of  officers,  and 
some  other  changes  were  introduced.     Her  sailing-rig  is  that  of 


LiurfiL^'i  ^4t__jyyiii _..::!_MI 


LIST  OF  OFFICERS.  347 

a  barkcntine,  and  she  makes  lier  best  time  close  to  the  wind.  She 
has  two  engines,  direct-acting,  compound  high  and  low  pressure, 
of  twelve  hundred  horse-power.  Her  propeller  is  set  down  very 
low,  so  that  she  can  work  under  the  ice. 

^\fter  all  the  necessary  alterations  and  repairs  were  completed, 
another  short  trial -trip  was  made  to  the  compass  station  near 
Sandy  Hook,  for  the  purpose  of  correcting  the  deviation  in  her 
compasses.  She  had  also  an  entire  set  of  new  rigging,  sails,  and 
topmasts,  and  steam  pipes  had  been  adjusted  for  the  purpose  of 
heating  the  vessel,  as  it  was  uncertain  whether  she  might  not 
have  to  winter  in  the  north. 

The  Tigress  carried  a  complement  of  eleven  officers  and  forty- 
two  men,  including  petty  ofncers  and  crew,  as  follows : 

OFFICERS. 

Ci'iiimnncler — James  A.  Greer,  commanding. 
Lii  utenant-commamler — Henry  C.  White,  executive  officer. 
Lieutenant — George  F.  Wilkins,  navigator. 
Lieutenants — Robert  M.  Berry  and  U.  S.  Sebree. 
Aiting  Litutemmt — George  E.  TS'son,  ice-master. 
Artiny  Master — Elisha  J.  Chipman,  assistant  ice-master. 

Llngineers — George  W.  Mellville,  first  assistant  (chief  engineer) ;  William  A.  Jlint- 
zer,  second  assistant. 
Assistant  Pay-master — George  E.  Boughman. 
Acting  Assistant  Surgeon — J.  W.  Elston. 

PETTY  OFFICERS  AND  CREW. 

Frank  Y.  Commagere,*  yeoman  ;  John  P.  Britton,  master-at-arms  and  captain  of 
the  hold:  W.  E.  Bullock,  apothecary;  Jose})h  Brewin,  boatswain's-mate ;  William 
Sheritl',  cliief  quartermaster ;  Samuel  Randall  and  George  Gray,  quartermasters: 
Henry  Clifford,  captain  of  the  forecastle;  Thomas  Ilovington,  captain  of  the  foretop: 
Gustavus  W.  Lindquist,  captain  of  the  maintop  ;  Charles  Cooper,  captain  of  the  miz- 
zentop :  George  R.Willis,  captain  of  the  afterguard ;  William  Boyer,  carpenter's  mate ; 
William  Hurley,  cabin  cook  ;  John  P.  Wallace,  steerage  steward  ;  Richard  Davis, 
ship's  cook;  John  M'Intyre,  David  M,  Howells,  and  John  M'Ewen,  machinists; 
Christopher  T.  White,  James  Iloran,  Samuel  S'litor,  Richard  Brenen,  Daniel  Lynch, 
and  Patrick  Devaney,  first-class  firemen ;  Frederick  Howlett,  Jeremiah  IMurphy, 
Edward  Jokish,  John  W.  Smith,  S.  \\".  Harding,  William  Lindermann,  J.  W.  C. 
Kruger,  and  Joe  Ebierbiug  (Esquimau  Joe),  seamen. 


*  Mr.  Commagere  was  one  of  those  energetic  correspondents  of  the  Neto  York 
Herald  wlio  are  ever  ready  to  do  and  dare  in  any  field  where  reportorial  honors  are 
to  be  won.  Finding  there  was  no  other  way  to  secure  a  passage,  he  shipped  as  or- 
dinary seaman,  and  was  very  consiuerately  appointed  to  the  position  of  "yeoman" 
by  Commander  Greer.  Mr.  Commagere  was  much  esteemed  on  board,  and  added 
not  a  little  to  enliven,  by  his  intelligence  and  humor,  the  short  though  stormy  voyige 
of  t'l  e  Tigress. 


348  ARCTIC  EXi'ERIENCES. 

If  the  Polaris  bad  been  found  in  a  sea-wortby  condition,  it  was 
arranged  that  sbe  sbould  be  put  in  the  charge  of  Lieutenant 
Commander  White  to  bring  to  Washington. 

Captain  Tyson  {pro  tern,  lieutenant)  -.vent  on  the  Ti'jrcss  as  ice- 
pilot,  and  Mr.  Cbipman,  of  New  London,  was  his  assistant. 

The  Esquimau,  Joe,  also  went  on  board  the  Ti'/re?-'^  as  inter- 
preter, that  be  might  act  in  the  very  possible  contingency  of 
seeking  information  from  the  natives  on  either  coast  of  Davis 
Strait.  Including  the  crew,  there  were  fifty -three  persons  on 
board. 

Joe  bad  sent  his  wife  Hannah  down  to  Wiscasset,  Maine,  but 
she  has  spent  most  of  the  summer  with  their  adopted  child, 
Puney,  in  Groton,  Massachusetts;  and  Joe  intends  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  his  life  in  the  United  States,  lie  owns  a  little 
house  and  a  bit  of  land  near  New  London,  Connecticut,  where 
be  can  make  a  living  by  fishing.  All  the  other  Esquimaux. 
and  Ilans  and  family,  were  taken  on  board,  to  be  returned  to 
Disco,  Greenland,  which  they  preferred  to  remaining  in  this 
country,  as  they  found  it  uncomfortably  warm. 

It  will  be  seen  by  Captain  Tyson's  journal  that  the  fact  of  hav- 
ing only  thirteen  seamen,  with  such  a  large  number  of  superior 
and  petty  officers,  was  the  cause  of  much  suffering  and  unusual 
hardship  to  the  dozen  men  who  bad  to  do  the  main  work  of  the 
ship.  In  consequence  of  being  thus  short-handed,  there  could 
only  be  two  watches  formed.  The  cruise  proving  a  stormy  one, 
involved  much  extra  work.     It  bore  very  hard  on  the  crew. 

In  regard  to  stores,  the  Tigress  was  supplied  with  a  large  vari- 
ety of  food,  and,  wnth  wbat  the  Juniata  took  for  her  use,  an  am- 
ple store  for  two  years.  Pork  was  substituted,  to  a  considerable 
amount,  in  place  of  the  regular  navy  beef,  as  the  former  article 
is  considered  better  adapted  to  an  Arctic  climate ;  and  this  was 
complemented  by  large  quantities  of  antiscorbutics,  in  the  shape 
of  canned  potatoes,  onions,  tomatoes,  pickles,  and  fresh  meats. 

Some  unwonted  articles  also  appeared  in  her  equipment. 
Am.ong  these  were  three  tripod-derricks,  iron-shod  and  spiked. 
These  derricks  were  for  the  support  of  large  "cross-cut"  or 
"gang"  saws,  several  of  which  were  taken  for  the  purpose  of 
cutting  through  heavy  ice.  Like  some  other  patent  articles,  the 
practical  value  was  thought  to  be  scarcely  equal  to  the  ordinary 
mode  of  sawing  by  one  man-ix)wer. 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  MINERALOGICAL  COLLECTIONS.         349 

Sledges  built  on  tbe  Esquimau  plan,  with  modern  and  Cauca- 
sian improvements,  were  taken  for  the  use  of  searching  parties ; 
the  bottoms  of  these  sledges  were  made  of  slats  of  very  tough 
wood,  curved  at  the  ends,  and  about  five  feet  in  length  ;  the  run- 
ners were  sixteen  feet  long,  and  nearly  a  foot  deep,  and  were 
made  of  spruce  planking;  and  their  whole  length  shod  with 
whalebone,  except  the  tips,  which  were  iron-bound.  The  seats 
and  runners  were  bound  tightly  together  with  leathern  thongs 
inserted  through  holes  drilled  in  the  wood.  A  large  load  could 
be  carried  on  one  of  these  sledges  —  four  or  five  persons,  with 
food  for  several  days  ;  but  it  needed  a  strong  team  of  dogs,  a  doz- 
en or  more,  to  carry  such  a  sledge  fully  loaded  over  the  ice. 

The  officers  on  board  the  Ti'jress  did  not  expect  to  make  any 
scientific  observations.  Their  orders  were  to  "find  the  Polaris^ 
and  relieve  her  remaining  company  "  if  they  could ;  and  every 
thing  else  was  to  be  subservient  to  that.  Yet  time  was  found  to 
make  some  very  interesting  geological  and  mineralogical  collec- 
tions, particularly  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ivgitut,  where  large 
works  are  in  operation  for  the  excavation  of  the  kryolite  of  com- 
merce, and  also  of  mica,  which  exists  in  that  locality  in  large 
quantities. 

Three  of  the  seamen  who  had  come  down  on  the  ice-floe  form- 
ed part  of  the  company :  these  were  Lindquist,  Kruger,  and  Lin- 
dermann.  Some  of  the  others  who  agreed  to  go  back  failed  to 
appear  when  the  Ti'jress  sailed.  While  she  lay  at  the  Navy  Yard, 
a  constant  concourse  of  visitors,  anxious  to  see  the  sealer  which 
had  rescued  Captain  Tyson  and  company,  were  constantly  ebb- 
ing and  flowing  through  the  gates,  and  overrunning  the  vessel, 
to  the  serious  embarrassment  of  the  workmen. 


350  ARCTIC  EXl'ERIENCES. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Tigress,  Commander  James  A.  Greer,  sets  sail. — Enthusiasm  at  her  Dejiartnre. 
— Hans  and  Family  as  Passengers.  —  "Knowledge  is  Tower.' — Arrive  at  Tes- 
sui.-aii. — Governor  Jansen.— r/^rcss  j  -oceeds  North. — A])])roach  Northumberland 
Island. — Not  the  place  of  Scjiaration. — Make  Littleton  Island. — Excitement  on 
Board  on  hearing  Human  Voices. — Encampment  of  the  Polaris  Survivors  foimd, 
— Commander  Greer's  Success. — Esquimaux  in  Possession  of  the  deserted  House. 
— Captain  Tyson's  Advice  to  seek  the  Whalers. 

The  Tigress  cast  off  bcr  lines  about  six  o'clock  on  Monday 
evening,  July  1-1,  and,  amidst  the  cheers  of  the  thousands  as- 
sembled to  witness  her  departure,  steamed  away  through  the 
East  River  and  toward  the  Sound,  saluted  on  all  sides  by  the 
shrill  whistles  of  passing  steamers,  who  recognized  her,  and  knew 
the  service  she  was  detailed  to  perform.  Her  departure  created 
far  greater  interest  and  attention  than  did  the  sailing  of  the  Po- 
laris two  years  earlier. 

"  The  Hell  Gate  pilot  gave  place  to  the  Sound  pilot,  and  the 
latter  left,  them  at  Pollock  Rip,  off  Cape  Cod,  from  whence  many 
sent  letters  home,  and  then  turned  their  faces  bravely  to  the 
north.  All  possible  speed  was  made  with  sail  and  steam ;  the 
Tigress  proving  an  excellent  sea-boat  going  before  the  wind,  but 
not  so  comfortable  head  to  it,  under  which  course  she  wa^  slow, 
and  given  to  rolling  and  pitching. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ilans  Christian,  with  their  interesting  progeny, 
did  not  commend  themselves  to  the  dainty  olfactories  of  the  na- 
val officers,  and  they  were  quartered  in  the  forward  deck-house, 
having  for  companions  the  surgeon,  pay-master,  and  a  Herald  cor- 
respondent. All  the  children  had  fatted  up  since  their  sojourn 
in  Brooklyn,  and  had  assumed  their  normal  condition  of  rotund- 
ity. Many  persons  had  given  this  family  articles  of  clothing  for 
the  children,  and  no  matter  what  the  garment  was,  it  was  im- 
mediately put  to  use ;  consequently,  though  the  thermometer 
was  ranging,  just  before  the  Tigress  sailed,  between  the  eighties 
and  nineties,  the  children,  baby  and  all,  were  enveloped  in  num- 
berless dresses,  sacques,  and  shawls  wonderful  to  behold.     Mrs. 


GOVEUXOR  JANSEX  ACTlNCi  AS  PILOT.  851 

Ilans  appeared  to  have  no  idea  of  keeping  any  tbing  in  reserve. 
It  is  no  wonder  they  found  it  warm  ! 

Joe  had  shipped  as  interpreter,  but  was  put  to  work  on  board 
as  a  seamen,  while  Hans  was  a  gentleman  passenger ;  but  as  it 
happened,  the  hitter  could  speak  but  little  English,  or  understand 
it,  so  Joe  took  advantage  of  his  superior  knowledge,  and  led  the 
simple-minded  Ilans  to  become  his  drudge,  by  gravely  informing 
him  that  both  were  equally  expected  to  work;  thus  exemplify- 
ing the  old  adage,  that  "knowledge  is  power,"  even  to  an  Es- 
quimau. 

The  Tigress  had  very  favorable  w^eather  until  nearing  Cape 
Race,  when  the  inevitable  fog  settled  down  over  the  ship  and  her 
company ;  and  on  the  afternoon  of  July  22  they  had  a  narrow 
escape  from  running  afoul  of  a  large  iceberg,  which  was  fortu- 
nately revealed  on  their  starboard  bow  by  a  sudden  lifting  of  the 
fog.     Early  the  next  morning  they  dropped  anchor  at  St.  Johns. 

Under  date  of  August  25,  Commander  Greer,  of  the  Tigress,  re- 
ported to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  that,  having  met  the  Juniata 
at  Upernavik  on  August  11,  and  shipped  a  supply  of  coal,  he 
had  taken  on  board  a  Danish  pilot  and  sailed  for  Tessuisak,  and 
that,  while  forging  slowly  ahead,  the  engine  had  caught  on  the 
centre;  that  he  had  let  go  his  anchor,  which  failed  to  bring  the 
vessel  up,  and  she  ran,  without  great  force,  on  a  smooth  rock,  but 
was  backed  off  in  a  few  minutes  without  injury. 

At  this  place  Governor  Jansen  came  on  board  and  acted  as 
pilot,  clearing  them  from  the  islands  which  abound  in  that  vicin- 
ity. We  may  as  well  here  explain  that  the  term  governor  in 
Greenland  is  not  the  highest  title,  but  is  better  expressed  by  the 
Danish  term  "  colonibestyrere,"  or  steerer  of  the  colony — that  is, 
the  head  man,  or  chief,  of  the  settlement.  This  "Governor" 
Jansen  had  been  with  Hayes,  and  had  proved  himself  a  valuable 
and  faithful  companion  and  assistant ;  he  knew  the  waters  thor- 
oughly, and  soon  set  the  Tigress  on  her  northward  course. 

On  the  same  night,  at  two  o'clock  (August  12),  the  Tigress  met 
the  steam-launch  Little  Juniata;  but  they  had  seen  nothing  of 
the  Polaris  or  Captain  Euddington's  party.  Near  Cape  York  the 
Tigress  encountered  the  heavy  pack-ice  which  had  repelled  Lieu- 
tenant De  Long;  and  they  were  prevented  by  it  from  getting 
close  to  the  shore,  but  went  near  enough  to  have  observed  any 
flag  or  signals,  if  such  had  been  displayed.     A  bright  lookout 


352 


AUCTIC  EXrElUtNCES. 


-ii^/ 


GOVERNOR  JANSES    AM)    FAMILY. 


was  kept  up  all  the  time.  Clearing  tlie  pack,  they  skirted  the 
eastern  shore,  examining  Xorth  Star  Bay  on  their  course,  and  on 
August  14  found  themselves  opposite  the  Esquimau  settlement 
of  Netlik. 

They  were  now  approaching  Northumberland  Island,  the  gen- 
erally supposed  location  of  the  Polaris  at  the  time  of  ?vjr  separa- 
tion from  the  ice-floe,  though  Captain  Tyson  had  always  suspect- 
ed it  to  have  been  Littleton  Island,  as  he  states  in  his  journal  on 
the  ice-floe,  "supposing"'  it  only  to  be  Northumberland,  as  he 
stated  in  his  testimony,  because  Mr.  Meyers,  who  had  the  means 
of  accurately  knowing,  asserted  positively  that  it  was.  Of  course 
he  and  others  of  his  party  who  were  on  board  were  keenly  on 
the  alert  to  detect  any  familiar  objects ;  but  as  they  came  within 
range,  it  being  full  daylight  too,  they  found  the  scene  quite  unfa- 
miliar. It  was  evidently  not  the  place ;  and  as  they  were  quite 
certain  they  had  not  passed  it — it  being  in  August  hght  through 
the  whole  twenty-four  hours — they  knew  they  must  sail  farther 
north  to  find  it 


C()M5IANDEU  GKEEIfS  SUCCESS.  353 

They  sailed  by  capes  Parry  and  Alexander,  looking  sharply 
around  Ilartstenc  Bay  not  only  for  Buddingtou  and  his  comi)an- 
ions,  but  also  for  the  missing  locality  of  the  separation.  At  last 
Littleton  Island,  with  its  lesser  companion,  M'Gary  Island,  came 
in  sight,  and,  with  a  simultaneous  sliout  of  recognition  by  all  on 
board  who  had  parted  from  the  I\ilari-'<^  this  was  declared  to  be 
the  spot  where  the  separation  took  place.  All  was  now  excite- 
ment as  one  and  another  pointed  oiU  the  familiar  rocks  and  oth- 
er jHjints  in  the  view,  indelibly  impressed  upon  their  memories. 

Here  the  Ti'jress  hovered  around,  in  hopes  of  seeing  some  signs 
of  the  missing  ship  and  men.  Between  9  and  10  I'.M.  a  boat  was 
lowered  for  the  shore  with  Lieutenant  "White,  Captain  Tyson,  and 
other  officers,  and  then  the  distant  sound  of  human  voices  appear- 
ed to  come  from  the  shore,  and  the  wildest  excitement  prevailed ; 
when,  Commander  Greer  ordering  "  Silence !"  the  sounds  were 
distinctly  recognized  as  human  speech,  and  in  a  few  moments 
more  the  commander  was  heard  to  exclaim,  from  his  elevated 
position  on  the  bridge,  "  I  see  their  house — two  tents;  and  human 
tififures  are  on  the  main-land  near  Littleton  Island  !" 

Ko  one  on  board  doubted  for  a  moment  that  these  human  fio-- 
ures  were  Buddington  and  his  party,  and  each  one  felt  that  their 
mission  was  nearly  accomplished;  but  those  in  the  boat  soon 
discovered  the  mistake.  The  "human  figures"  were  not  the  lost 
men  of  the  Polaris,  but  native  Esquimaux,  whose  language  was 
unintelligible  to  all  the  officers  except  Captain  Tyson.  Some  of 
them  wore  the  clothing  cf  civilized  men.  Captain  Tyson  obtain- 
ed some  facts  from  them  when  the  boat  returned  to  the  ship,  and 
Esquimau  "Joe"  was  then  taken  back  with  them  to  the  shore  to 
act  as  interpreter,  for  fuller  information.  lie  confirmed  what  had 
been  learned  by  Captain  Tyson,  that  Captain  Buddington  had 
abandoned  the  Polaris  on  the  day  after  she  was  separated  from 
the  floe ;  that  his  party  had  built  a  house  on  the  main-land,  where 
they  had  wintered ;  had  fitted  it  up  with  berths,  or  bunks,  for 
sleeping,  fourteen  in  number  (showing  that  none  of  the  party  had 
died) ;  and  had  also  furnished  it  with  a  stove,  table,  chairs,  and 
other  articles  taken  from  the  Polaris ;  that  during  the  winter  the 
party  had  built  and  rigged  two  sail-boats,  with  wood  and  canvas 
taken  from  the  ship,  and  that  "about  the  time  when  the  ducks 
begin  to  hatch"  Captain  Buddington  and  the  whole  party  had 
sailed  southward  in  these  boats, 

23 


354 


ARCTIC  EXrERIENCES. 


The  chief  man  among  these  Esquimaux  al^o  said  that  Captain 
Buddington  bad  made  Irim  a  jvesent  of  (he  Polaris,  but  that  soon 
after  the  former  left  the  vessel  broke  loose  from  the  ice  in  a  gale 
of  wind,  and,  after  drifting  about  one  mile  and  a  half  toward  the 
passage  between  Littleton  Island  and  the  main-land,  had  founder- 
ed. The  chief  told  in  sorrowful  accents  how  he  had  watched  her 
sinking — sinking,  until  down  she  went,  out  of  his  sight  forever, 
to  his  great  sorrow  and  loss. 


POLARIS   CAMP,  1S7"2-'T3. 

Commander  Greer,  in  his  report,  states  that  exactly  "  one  month 
and  four  hours  after  leaving  New  York,'"  he  had  found  and  vis- 
ited the  winter-camp  of  the  Polaris  crew.  The  Esquimaux  were 
in  possession  of  the  deserted  quarters,  and  also  had  two  tents 
made  out  of  canviis  belonging  to  the  Polaris. 

The  camp  was  found  to  be  situated  in  lat.  78°  23'  N.,  and  in 
long.  73°  W  W.  On  entering,  a  scene  of  disorder  and  wailful 
destruction  presented  itself;  articles  of  furniture,  instruments, 
books,  the  stove,  medical  stores,  and  an  ample  stock  of  provisions, 
were  scattered  about  in  the  utmost  confusion,  llow  much  of  this 
was  the  work  of  the  retreating  ; '.  ^ty,  and  how  much  of  the  Es- 
quimaux present,  it  was  not  easj  determine ;  but  its  condition 
showed  at  least  that  no  pains  had  been  taken  to  seal  up  or  pre- 
serve in  any  way  the  records,  book  o'  scientific  instruments. 
The  most  diligent  search  failed  to  revea.  any  writing  which  indi- 
cated the  time  of  their  breaking  up,  or  what  route  they  meant  to 
pursue.  One  expressive  article  was  found,  namely,  a  log-book, 
out  of  which  was  torn  all  reference  to  the  death  of  Captain  Hall. 


SEEKING  THE  AVIIALEU8.  355 

Commander  Greer  took  possession  of  all  the  manuscripts,  the 
log-book,  the  medical  stores,  and  remains  of  instruments,  and 
whatever  else  was  of  any  use  or  value,  either  intrinsically  or  as 
relics,  and  then  returned  on  'ooard  the  Ti'jrtss. 

As  there  was  no  further  object  in  going  north,  the  Tigress  was 
once  more  headed  for  Tossac,  on  the  supposition  that  news  of  the 
Polaris  survivors  might  have  reached  that  settlement.  On  their 
southward  course  a  continual  and  close  watch  was  kept  along 
shore  and  in  every  direction  for  the  Polarises  boats,  but  nothing 
was  seen  of  them.  ISTor,  when  the  Tigress  touched  at  Tossac,  was 
any  news  obtained. 

Passing  down  to  Upernavik,  the  Tigress  dropped  anchor  there, 
for  the  purpose  of  overhauling  and  repairing  her  machinery;  but 
could  still  hear  no  news  of  Buddington's  party.  Commander 
Greer,  therefore,  decided  to  keeji  to  the  south  as  flxr  as  Goodhavn, 
where  intelligence  was  more  likely  to  be  obtained.  Leaving 
Upernavik  at  2  p.m.  of  the  2od  of  August,  the  Tigress  arrived  at 
Goodhavn  at  2  a.m.  of  the  25th.  Here  it  was  ascertained  that  the 
whaler  Arctic,  of  Dundee,  and  the  Aseel;  with  seven  others,  had 
gone  northward,  all  expecting  to  sight  Cape  York.  Ilence  it 
seemed  certain  that,  if  Captain  Buddington  had  kept  to  the  east 
coast,  he  had  already  been  rescued  by  some  of  these  vessels. 

But  the  duty  of  the  Tigress  could  not  be  considered  fulfilled 
while  there  was  no  absolute  information  obtained  as  to  the  safety 
of  the  missing  men.  Captain  Tyson's  familiarity  with  the  habits 
of  the  whalers  convinced  him  that  the  vessels  would  at  that  time 
of  the  year  be  found  on  the  west  coast,  and  he  so  explained  to 
Commander  Greer,  who  then  determined  to  strike  over  to  the 
west  to  try  and  intercept  the  whalers,  who  invariably  take  that 
course  in  working  down  from  ihe  "  north  w^ater."  At  the  time 
of  writing  his  dispatch  he  had  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  tons  of 
coal  aboard,  and  while  that  lasted  he  expressed  his  intention  to 
continue  the  search,  unless  sooner  receiving  positive  intelligence 
of  the  parties  he  had  gone  to  seek. 

Official  reports  are  usually  dry  reading.  "With  all  due  respect, 
therefore,  for  Commander  Greer's  official  communications,  we  pre- 
fer to  give  Captain  Tyson's  journal  of  the  daily  incidents  of  this 
cruise;  and  in  it  we  are  sure  that  the  intelligent  reader  will  per- 
ceive many  valuable  suggestions,  intermingled  with  incidents  of 
an  •^•..'ising  character,  though  these  were  not  infrequently  immi- 
nently \bi^'^^  toward  tragic  catastrophes. 


356  AKCTIC  EXTERIENCES. 


CHAPTER 

CAPTAIN  Tyson's  cruise  in  the  tigress. 

Captain  Tyson's  Journal  on  board  ihe  Tigress.  —  "Too  late."  —  Fire  training  on 
board. — Mai  de  titer. — A  tall  Storj-. — Angling  for  rorjioises  witli  I'ork. — A  nautic- 
al Juke. — Beware  of  the  Tigress. — Fog  at  Sea. — Naive  Comments  on  Icebergs. — 
Tender  Hearts  among  the  Blue-jackets.— Illusions. — Aurora. — Whistling  to  fright- 
en the  Bergs.— Splendid  Northern  Liglus. -Heavy  Gales.— The  Doctors  Clerk.— 
Two  old  Whalers. — We  leave  Night  behind  us. — Boor  Hans's  AtHiction. — Family 
returned  to  Greenland. — Th;;  Tigress  pitching  and  rolling. — The  Fog-blanket. — 
Cheese  for  Bait. — An  Iceberg  turns  a  Somersault. — A  beautiful  Display. — A 
slight  Accident. — Meet  the  Steam-launch. — (Jtlicial  Correspondence  with  Com- 
mander Greer. — Ashore  at  Littleton  Island  and  Life-boat  Cove. — Sounding  for 
the  foundered  Polaris. — Abundance  of  P^ood  abandoned  by  the  Polaris  Sur- 
vivors. 

^■tSaiurdaj/,  July  12,  1873.  The  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  lion, 
George  M.  Eobeson,  visited  tlie  Tigress  tbis  afternoon,  put  the 
ship  in  commission,  and  made  a  sbort  address  to  the  crew.  At 
5  A.M.  got  under  way  for  the  purpose  of  correcting  tbe  deviation 
of  the  compass  at  tbe  buoys  at  Sandy  Hook.  Tbe  weather  fine 
and  pleasant,  with  light  breeze  from  the  south-west.  Several  of 
the  men  quite  nervous  this  morning,  the  vessel  making  consider- 
able water.  As  I  am  requested  to  stand  a  watch  (though  no  part 
of  my  duty),  I  do  so  to  give  others  an  easier  time. 

'■'■July  13.  Started  at  1.28  p.m.  to  return  to  the  Brooklyn  Navy 
Yard.  I  feel  that  we  are  too  late  getting  off  to  accomplish  the 
object  for  which  we  are  going.  The  Juniata  will  most  likely 
succeed,  having  so  much  the  start  of  us. 

'•'■July  1-4,  5.10  P.M.  Started  from  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard. 
The  United  States  steamship  Brooklyn,  and  also  the  United 
States  steamship  Vermo7it,  manned  their  yards  and  rigging  as  we 
left,  while  cheer  upon  cheer  rent  the  air  all  along  up  tbe  East 
River;  from  every  ferry-boat  and  steamer  which  we  passed  we 
received  a  salute.  The  waving  of  handkerchiefs  by  the  lady 
passengers,  and  the  '  hurras '  of  the  men,  showed  the  deep  feel- 
ing of  the  people,  and  the  interest  which  they  took  in  our  mis- 
sion. It  was  as  much  as  to  say,  '  God  be  with  you ;  rescue  those 
people,  and  a  safe  return  home  to  you  ;'  so  at  least  I  felt  it.     The 


SICK  BLUE-JACKETS.  357 

cheering  from  passing  boats  and  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs 
continued  until  darkness  closed  around  us. 

'■'■July  15.  Light  breeze  from  the  south-west.  "We  arc  pressing 
along  under  both  steam  and  sail  as  fast  as  possible,  but  our  ves- 
'>ol  is  far  from  fast.  I  ho})e,  if  slow,  she  will  be  on  the  'sure' 
principle,  and  arrive  in  time  to  get  those  people  before  the  Ju- 
niata. It  is  extremely  hot  this  morning;  very  little  wind,  scarce- 
ly enough  to  ruffle  the  quiet  waters  of  Long  Island  Sound. 

"6  P.M.  We  are  now  between  Block  Island  and  Point  Judith, 
going  along  about  seven  knots  an  hour.  Hans  and  his  family 
were  the  centre  of  attraction  yesterday,  but  this  morning,  on  go- 
ing into  the  apartments  they  occupy,  the  stench  drove  every  one 
out;  so  their  attractions  are  much  diminished  to-day. 

"We  had  'fire-training'  this  evening.  All  were  stationed  at 
quarters,  my  station  being  at  the  magazine.  I  stood  at  my  post 
boldly  and  fearlessly,  knowing  it  did  not  contain  any  thing  more 
explosive  than  canned  meats  and  fruits ! 

'■^Jidy  16.  Fair,  with  just  enough  wind  from  the  north  to  kick 
up  a  lively  sea.  The  pilot  left  at  8  a.m.,  and  we  are  now  fiiirly 
at  sea.  I  have  sent  the  last  good-bye  to  wife  and  family  for  a 
time  (God  willing).  There  are  many  sick  this  morning  among 
the  men,  and  it  is  laughable  to  see  how  they  try  to  aide  their 
weakness.  They  bear  up  against  it  manfully,  put  on  a  stprn  and 
sober  face,  and  say, '  I"m  not  sick ;  but  I  don't  care  for  any  break- 
fast this  morning.'  Some  are  inclined  to  sit  on  or  near  the  rail, 
and  every  once  in  a  while  their  heads  will  disappear  over  the 
side.  What  engages  their  attention  just  then  I  am  not  anxious 
to  observe.  Ilans's  family  are  all  sick  too,  and  every  body  else 
is  sick  of  them.  We  are  ffoing  along  this  evening  at  the  rate  of 
five  knots,  through  the  stormy  tide  rips  of  George  Shoals. 

^'■Juhj  17.  It  is  a  fine  pleasant  day,  the  sun  shining  brightly; 
a  cool  but  gentle  breeze  from  the  N.N.E.  All  now  appear  hap- 
py and  contented.  Some  amuse  themselves  with  the  violin,  oth- 
ers telling  yarns.  One  by  our  yeoman,  who,  by-the-way,  is  a 
man  of  some  account,  he  being  no  less  than  a  ^Herald  correspond- 
ent,' but  who  shipped  before  the  mast,  finding  no  other  way  to 
get  a  passage  on  board — he,  speaking  of  tall  men,  outdid  the  ex- 
perience of  the  others  b}^  declaring  that  an  acquaintance  of  his  was 
so  tall  that  he  could  stand  on  one  side  of  a  carriage,  reach  over 
the  top,  and  open  the  door  on  the  opposite  side.     That  was  rath- 


358  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

er  u  long  stretch,  even  for  a  sailor's  yarn.  We  see  many  little 
fisliing-sinacks,  little  fellows  which  look  as  if  one  good  sea  would 
annihilate  them;  but  they  are  like  the  ducks,  always  on  the  top 
of  the  rising  crests.     Indeed,  accidents  seldom  haj>pen  to  them. 

•'  Our  hours  for  meals  are :  breakfast  at  0  a.m.  ;  dinner  at  3  P.M. : 
tea  at  6  p.m. 

''•Jahj  18.  Cloudy  and  cool.  AVe  arc  making  very  slow  prog- 
ress indeed  this  morning — only  two  miles  an  hour.  There  is  a 
strong  east  wind,  and,  as  our  course  is  east,  it  is  consequently  dead 
ahead.  There  is,  too,  a  dirty  little  short  vsea  running,  which  hin- 
ders us  very  much.  The  men  are  very  busy  at  work,  cleaning 
paint,  scraping,  and  scrubbing  decks.  Lat.  at  noon,  -17"  17'  N., 
long.  64°  19'  W. 

"An  anmsing  incident  occurred  this  afternoon.  ^Fany  por- 
poises were  playing  about  the  ship — quite  a  novel  sight  to  those 
on  board  who  have  not  been  to  sea  befoie.  Our  doctor's  clerk, 
or  apothecary,  was  running  around  the  deck  preparing  a  line  and 
hooks.  Finally,  coming  up  to  ]\Ir.  Chipman  (assistant  ice-pilot), 
he  asked  '  w'hat  kind  of  bait  they  used  to  catch  these  porpoises 
with?'  Mr.  Chipman  told  him  by  all  means  to  'bait  his  hook 
with  pork.'  To  those  wdio  understand  that  porpoises  are  cap- 
tured with  the  harpoon  and  lance,  it  will  readily  be  seen  where 
the  joke  comes  in. 

'•'Jiibj  19.  Beautiful  weather,  with  light  south-east  breeze; 
numerous  porpoises  still  playing  around  the  Ti'jress,  which,  now 
we  have  got  all  sail  on,  is  going  through  the  water  at  the  rate  of 
seven  knots  an  hour.  This  evening  the  breeze  is  strong,  and  it 
looks  like  rain.  We  have  all  come  away  without  rubber  coats. 
It  was  supposed  that  w^ater-proof  suits  were  among  the  stores,  as 
a  supjily  had  been  ordered,  but  they  can  not  be  found.  So,  when- 
ever it  rains,  whoc^^T  has  the  watch  on  deck  will  have  to  take  a 
good  wetting.  It  has  been  quite  cold  the  last  three  days — cool 
enough  to  bring  out  the  overcoats.  We  work  hard  every  day, 
trying  to  get  the  vessel  in  presentable  condition  before  arriving 
at  St.  Johns. 

"e/»///20.  It  has  been  a  wretched  day,  so  far  as  weather  is 
concerned.  It  rained  through  the  entire  night,  and  continued 
up  till  noon,  when  the  wind  changed  from  S.E.  to  S.W.,  bring- 
ing a  thick  fog.  We  go  along  carefully,  sounding  our  way  ;  in- 
deed, have  done  so  since  leaving  Brooklyn.     We  are  now  this 


FOG  AT  SEA.  359 

evening  (S  P.M.)  three  Imndred  miles  from  St,  Johns.  It  is 
densely  thick  to-night;  so  the  steam-whistle  is  kept  constantly 
screaming  every  five  minutes,  warning  all  ocean  travelers  to  be- 
ware of  the  Ti'jress.  But  we  do  not  mind  bad  weather,  for  our 
wardroom,  is  very  comfortable.  Some  of  the  officers — we  are 
eleven  in  number — are  enjoying  themselves  with  a  violin,  while 
others  are  reading,  the  propeller  thumping  away,  and  the 
whistle  screaming,  so  that  sleep  is  scarcely  obtainable  at  present. 

"e/^///y  21,  It  was  densely  thick  last  night,  and  the  fog  so  very 
wet  that  we  needed  the  missing  rubber  outside  garments  very 
much.  The  wind  is  fair,  and  we  go  along  at  a  good  jog,  with  a 
long,  heavy  swell  from  the  southward,  which  keeps  the  Ti'jress 
rolling  in  a  very  uncomfortable  manner.  This  morning  tl  e  sun 
forced  his  way  through  the  fog  and  finally  dispersed  the  mist, 
for  which  we  are  truly  thankful,  Nothing  is  more  annoying 
than  fog  at  sea.  It  is  worse  than  the  darkness  of  night — for  the 
eyes  become  partiall}^  accustomed  to  that  sort  of  darkness,  and 
can  see  something;  but  in  foggy  weather  one  can  discern  abso- 
lutely nothing  a  few  feet  off". 

'■'•July  22.  This  morning  at  8  a.m.  the  westerly  breeze  brought 
down  another  thick  fog  upon  us;  it  continued  very  dense  until 
4.10  P.M.,  when,  just  as  we  had  stopped  the  engine,  and  brought 
the  ship's  head  to  the  wind  to  sound,  behold  the  fog  disappeared, 
blowing  away  to  the  eastward,  and  as  it  lilied  w^e  discovered  the 
coast — the  coast  of  Newfoundland,  just  above  Cape  Hace,  about 
forty  miles  from  S*^.  Johns.  Nearly  at  the  same  moment  I  per- 
ceived an  iceberg  about  four  miies  ofl:*  to  the  eastward.  This 
w^as  the  first  berg  seen  by  us,  and  the  first  ever  seen  by  many 
on  board,  and  it  consequently  attracted  much  attention.  Some 
wanted  to  know  '  if  it  was  as  large  as  the  one  I  had  drifted  on  so 
far?'  not  reniizing  the  difference  between  o.  ffoe,  which  is  com- 
paratively flat,  and  a  herj,  which  is  of  an  elevated  structure. 
Some  thought  it  'beautiful,'  others  that  it  'looked  cold,'  They 
will  see  many  more  of  these  beautiful,  cold  bergs  before  they  get 
back.  To-night  we  shall  arrive  at  St.  Johns,  making  our  passage 
nine  days  from  Brooklyn. 

"  July  23.  We  arrived  at  St.  Johns  at  6.30.  The  wej.ther  quite 
pleasant  for  this  part  of  the  world,  although  it  is  clocidy,  and 
some  little  rain  falling.  The  pilot  boarded  us  as  usual,  after  we 
got  into  the  harbor.     I  have  been  on  shore,  but  soon  returned, 


3  GO  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

it  being  my  watch.  As  we  are  about  to  take  our  departure  from 
St.  Joiins  to  the  far  north,  every  body  is  busy  writing  home. 
How  much  the  sailors  tliink  of  home — their  hearts  are  not  all 
hard!  The  steamer  from  Europe  touched  here  this  afternoon, 
staying  but  to  take  the  mail.     I  hope  my  letters  have  gone  by  her. 

"«/?////  27.  Since  8  a.m.  the  weather  has  been  beautiful.  We 
left  St.  Johns  last  evening  at  6  P.M.  At  eleven  this  mornine,  it 
being  Sunday,  we  had  divine  service,  all  the  officers  attending. 

"  We  have  laid  in  an  abundance  of  stores,  such  as  fresh  meat, 
potatoes,  eggs.  Bass's  ale,  chickens,  and  three  little  pigs,  two  of 
which,  how^ever,  died  last  night.  We  have  also  a  cat,  purchased 
by  one  of  the  officers.  We  lost  two  men  at  St.  Johns,  and  ship- 
ped three:  one  of  the  men  who  escaped,  the  carpenter's  mate, 
went  off  in  double -irons,  he  having  been  discovered  with  his 
trunk  packed,  preparing  for  desertion.  We  have  already  started 
our  steam  in  the  wardroom,  some  complaining  of  the  cold  already. 

'■^Julij  28.  Some  little  rain  this  morning,  but  otlierwise  pleas- 
ant. There  is  nothing  doing  but  the  usual  routine  on  board 
ship.  Some  of  the  boys  who  indulged  too  freely  of  the  good 
things  at  St.  Johns  are  feeling  the  effects  now.  One  discovered 
last  night  a  very  large  white  rat,  which,  on  investi^Ption,  proved 
to  be  the  innocent  cat  before  mentioned.  Another,  .vhose  watch 
did  not  commence  until  daylight,  got  up  at  midnight,  and  c'^)uld 
scarcely  be  convinced  that  it  was  not  morning. 

"Last  night,  about  low  meridian,  there  was  a  beautiful  aurora, 
extending  from  west  to  east,  and  covering  the  whole  heavens  to 
the  northward.  The  display  was  very  brilliant,  showing  all  the 
colors  in  nature;  vivid  flashes  resembling  lightning  followed 
each  other  in  quick  successioUj  the  electric  clouds  encountering 
and  running  together  as  if  endowed  with  life.  While  writing 
the  above  the  wind  hauled  from  the  south-west  to  the  north-east 
again,  bringing  our  old  enemy,  the  fog.  As  soon  as  it  gets  foggy 
there  is  a  great  -vorry  in  some  quarters  about  bergs.  Overcoats 
are  called  for,  and  some  have  even  taken  to  mittens. 

^'"Ecening.  It  is  again  cool  but  clear;  the  wind  is  ahead,  greatly 
retarding  our  progress ;  for  without  a  fair  wind  and  sails  to  help 
we  get  along  very  slowly.  But,  slow  as  we  are,  we  are  constant- 
ly increasing  the  length  of  our  day.  Ai  this  date  there  is  not 
more  than  five  hours  of  darkness  out  of  the  twenty-four.  This 
evening  our  latitude  is  52°  1-i'  N. 


AUKOKAL  DISPLAY.  361 

^^Jultj  29.  Foggy  again,  but  thanks  for  a  fair  wind.  All  .sail 
set,  and  steam  propelling  us  along  as  fast  as  possible.  We  sound 
our  steam-whistle  every  five  minutes,  but  for  what  purpose  I 
know  not,  unless  to  frighten  the  bergs;  for  in  this  vicinity  there 
are  no  ships  to  run  into.  The  sun  set  this  evening  at  b.lO  p.m. 
Now  it  is  nine  o'clock,  and  yet  there  is  good  light,  as  the  fog  has 
cleared  off,  leaving  us  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  south-west.  We 
are  now  going  along  at  from  seven  to  eight  knots  per  hour.  Lat. 
at  8  P.M.  55°  18'  N. 

^'■Julij  30.  It  is  a  cloudy  day,  the  sun  showing  himself  occa- 
sionally through  the  clouds;  pleasant  breeze  from  the  westward. 
With  all  sail  and  steam  on,  our  little  craft  gets  along  merrily — 
making,  from  twelve,  noon,  yesterday  to  noon  to-day,  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety-six  miles  on  our  northward  course.  Last  night 
there  was  another  auroral  display,  covering  nearly  the  whole 
heavens.  The  electric  flashes  were  very  brilliant;  at  first  the 
undulations  were  of  a  graceful  and  tremulous  motion,  and  then 

"  'Anon,  as  if  u  sudden  tvumiict  spoke, 

Banners  of  gold  and  pmple  were  tlung  out ; 
Fire-crested  leaders  swept  along  the  lines, 
Which  from  the  gorgeous  depths,  like  meeting  seas, 
Rolled  to  wild  battle.' 

The  scene  was  one  which  could  scarcely  be  excelled  for  spirit 
and  beauty. 

" J«<(y  31.  We  have  a  very  bad  morning;  dirty,  rainy,  blow- 
ing weather,  with  a  head  wind,  our  little  vessel  pitching  and  roll- 
ing in  a  very  uncomfortable  manner.  Steam  is  on,"  full  power, 
and  we  are  battling  against  wind  and  sea,  but  making  no  head- 
way. 

^^Aug.  1.  The  gale  still  continues,  but  the  wind  has  hauled 
more  to  the  west,  and  the  rain  has  ceased,  but  leaves  a  very  bad 
sea  running;  it  is  also  quite  cold:  thermometer  -|-47°.  The  tem- 
perature of  the  sea- water  is  the  same  as  the  air.  No  accident  has 
yet  occurred  worth_^  of  note,  except  during  the  late  gale  a  slight 
one,  which  might  have  proved  serious.  The  doctors  clerk,  who 
goes  by  the  inelegant  sobriquet  of  the  'puke-jerker,' was  lying 
on  the  transom  locker  asleep,  when  his  medicine-chest  from  above 
gave  a  lurch  and  came  down  on  him.  Had  it  struck  him  on  the 
head  he  would  certainly  have  been  killed— by  his  own  drugs. 
It  was  a  narrow  escape. 


3(32  ARCTIC  EXl'KHIEXCES. 

".l»y.  2.  The  weather  still  remains  cloudy,  but  the  wind  is 
fair,  and  we  are  making  our  way  northward  at  the  rate  of  six  or 
seven  miles  an  hour.  Before  leaving  Brooklyn,  I  had  explained 
to  Commander  Greer  and  Executive  Officer  White  what  my  views 
were  about  the  position  of  the  Polaris  at  the  time  of  my  separa- 
tion from  her.  From  an  examination  of  the  ciiarts,  I  felt  quite 
sure  that  Sergeant  Meyers  had  made  a  mistake,  and  that  my  orig- 
inal impressions  were  correct.  1  have  told  Commander  Greer  that 
he  would  not  find  the  Polaris  at  Northumberland,  but  at  Little- 
ton Island. 

"10  r.M.  Eaining  again,  but  the  wind  is  fair,  and  the  coast  of 
Greenland  about  forty  miles  distant;  but  as  yet  its  lofty,  rugged 
mountains  can  not  be  seen,  on  account  of  cloudy  and  hazy  weath- 
er. Lat.  62°  5-i'  N,,  long.  58°  50'  W.  at  noon,  which  at  our  pres- 
ent rate  will  bring  us  this  evening  abreast  of  Fiscanacs.  ^[any 
species  of  gulls  are  sporting  around  the  little  Tigress,  also  whales — 
the  fin,  the  hump-back,  the  bottle-nose,  and  the  huge  sulphur-bot- 
tom— large  numbers  of  them.  It  reminds  me  of  my  old  whaling 
days;  and  Mr.  Chipman,  forgetting  for  the  moment  that  he  was 
in  the  United  States  service,  and  consequently  ought  to  conserve 
bis  dignity  to  the  utmost,  could  not  forbear  exclaiming,  in  whaler 
plirase,  as  he  caught  sight  of  a  spout,  'There  she  blows!'  w^hile, 
I,  to  foster  his  momentary  illusion,  promptly  responded,  'Where 
away  ?'     But  dignity  and  silence  were  soon  resumed. 

"  We  have  now  left  night  behind  us,  though  not  quite  within 
the  Arctic  circle  yet.  But  it  is  twilight  at  midnight.  Poor 
Uans  and  his  family  were  subjected  to  a  severe  afUiction  to-day, 
being  compelled  to  strip  off  their  vermin-infested  clothing  and 
put  on  clean,  than  wh;';li  I  suppose  no  greater  discomfort  could 
be  imposed  upon  them.  The  discarded  clothing  was  put  into  a 
strong  pickle,  to  destroy  the  parasites  with  which  it  was  all  infest- 
ed. Hans  and  flimily  will  have  a  grand  rejoicing  on  getting  once 
more  to  'Greenland's  icy  mountains,' their  'native  heath,'  where 
they  can  enjoy  their  dirt,  with  none  to  molest  or  make  them 
afraid. 

^'Ai^'j.  3.  This  morning,  the  weather  having  partially  cleared, 
we  sight  the  coast  of  Greenland,  just  abreast  of  Sukkertoppen. 
The  lofty  mountains  were  covered  with  snow,  with  here  and  there 
a  glacier,  making  a  very  picturesque,  though  a  grand  and  almost 
terrible,  coast  scene.    We  have  passed  several  bergs  this  evening ; 


ICEBERG  SOJIEUSAULTS,  363 

and  the  weather  is  wretched  again,  fog,  rain,  blowing,  and  a  head 
wind  at  that. 

^^Vl.Midnt'jJd.  I  liave  just  come  from  deck.  The  short  sea, 
and  pitching  and  rolling  of  the  vessel,  has  made  it  any  thing  but 
pleasant;  besides,  I  iiave  had  a  thorough  soaking  in  the  last  four 
hours.  I  must  say  wc  have  had  a  very  unpleasant  passage  as  far 
as  weather  has  been  concerned.  It  has  been  rainy,  foggy,  or  head- 
winds a  great  part  of  the  time.  The  excitement  on  board  on 
passing  a  berg  is  quite  ludicrous,  at  least  it  ap})ears  so  to  me. 
One  would  think  the  Day  of  Judgment  was  just  at  hand,  to  see 
some  of  the  pale  faces. 

^^Au'j.  4.  The  rain  has  ceased,  the  fog  has  cleared,  but  it  is  not 
settled,  clear  weather;  it  is  so  cloudy  one  can  almost  feel  the 
heavy  cloud-atmosphere  enveloping  us — much,  I  should  thinlc,  as 
aeronauts  describe  their  sensations  on  passing  through  a  cloud- 
belt.  The  coast  of  Greenland,  in  the  distance,  is  covered  as  with  a 
heavy  pall,  the  mountain  peaks  occasionally  showing  themselves 
above  the  dark  clouds  which  enshroud  the  land. 

'•'•An'j.  *J.  Well,  we  have  been  to  Disco — arrived  there  on  the 
morning  of  the  6th ;  coaled  the  ship,  and  off  again  on  the  8th. 
The  Jnniata  had  gone  on  north,  I  suppose,  as  far  as  Upernavik. 
taking  a  full  supply  of  coal  belonging  to  the  Polaris,  and  leav- 
ing fifty  or  sixty  tons  for  the  Tigress.  We  had  a  very  })]easant 
tune  at  Disco,  going  on  shore  and  having  a  dance,  and  the  officers 
of  the  Ti'jress  are  very  much  gratified  with  their  visit  The  doc- 
tor's clerk  has  been  fishinsr,  using  cheese  for  bait! 

"At  last  we  have  had  a  beautiful  icebenir  exhibition.  As  I 
was  going  on  shore  in  the  boat,  my  attention  was  attracted  by 
the  oscillatory  motions  of  a  large  berg  of  irregular  formation, 
only  a  short  distance  from  me.  I  watched  it  with  much  inter- 
est, for,  appreciating  its  peculiar  movements,  I  anticipated  the  re- 
sult. At  first  it  swayed  backward  and  forward  with  a  gentle  in- 
clination for  a  few  moments ;  then  I  perceived  that  it  was  losing 
its  balance,  when,  as  if  endued  with  the  consciousness  that  it  had 
lost  its  original  poise,  and  was  seeking  to  re-establish  its  centre 
of  gravity,  it  trembled  for  an  instant,  as  if  uncertain  which  way 
to  plunge,  and  then  turned  over  toward  me  in  the  most  graceful 
of  somersaults.  As  the  immense  mass  struck  the  water,  many 
large  pieces  were  shaken  from  the  top;  the  white  foam  swirled 
around  the  vortex  formed  by  the  descending  mass ;  there  was  a 


364  ARCTIC  KXPEKILXCES. 

shiver  and  a  struggle,  as  if  some  sentient  creature  were  in  dan- 
ger of  drowning;  the  waves  sent  out  by  the  disturbed  waters 
rocked  my  little  boat  with  a  heavy  swell.  But  in  less  time  than 
I  have  taken  to  describe  it,  the  beautiful  berg,  with  somewhat 
altered  proportions,  had  arisen  from  its  bath,  readjusted  its  centre 
of  gravity,  and  presented  to  my  view  another  fa(;ade,  on  which 
the  summer's  sun  enkindled  a  marvelous  combination  of  hues, 
and  av/ay  sailed  my  lovely  berg,  calm  and  majestic  as  a  queen  in 
new  tiring  robes.  Those  on  board  of  the  Tirjress  who  were  on 
the  lookout  had  the  full  benefit  of  the  display, 

^^Awj.  10.  This  morning  we  arrived  at  Upernavik ;  it  was  cloudy 
and  raining.  Many  large  bergs  around,  some  of  huge  propor- 
tions, and,  I  must  sny,  some  of  them  very  beautiful,  particular- 
ly several  which  appeared  like  artistic  architectural  structures. 
Getting  near  the  harbor,  the  tall  spars  of  the  Juniata  were  dis- 
covered; also  a  Danish  bark,  the  llioncahls'm.  In  a  few  minutes 
we  were  at  anchor,  and  in  a  few  more  had  all  the  news.  The 
Juiii'ita,  or,  rather.  Commander  Braine,  has  dispatched  the  steam- 
launch  across  Melville  Bay. 

^^Ai(f/.  11.  Fine  weather;  preparing  to  get  under  way,  and  it 
looks  like  preparing  to  winter.  We  left  Upernavik  at  o  p.m. 
The  crew  of  the  Juniata  cheered  us  as  we  got  otl".  Away  we 
steamed,  through  i.slands  and  bergs — bergs  in  thousands.  Six 
hours  carried  us  to  Tessuisak.  On  going  into  harbor,  the  engine 
caught  on  the  centre ;  therefore  could  not  back  the  vessel,  and  she 
ran  on  the  rocks,  but  was  soon  got  off  again,  and,  having  dis- 
charged the  pilot,  started  for  the  farther  north.  AVe  had  gone 
but  a  short  distance,  when  the  launch  of  the  Juniata  was  dis- 
covered heading  toward  the  south.  How  far  they  have  been  I 
could  not  ascer^ain,  but  I  judge  not  far.  They  had  no  intelli- 
gence of  the  Polaris. 

'■^AiiQ.  12.  Fine  weather.  "We  are  steaming  gayly  along,  and 
are  about  entering  Melville  Bay,  the  dread  of  whalemen ;  bergs 
are  in  sight,  but  no  pack-ice. 

'■'■Aug.  13.  Clear  and  pleasant.  Last  night  we  saw  the  mid- 
night sun.  This  morning  sighted  Cape  York,  getting  within 
about  six  miles  of  the  cape ;  found  it  surrounded  by  a  pack. 
Seeing  no  signals,  the  commander  concluded  to  keep  on ;  so  we 
rounded  the  west  end  of  the  pack,  and  are  now  steering  north 
again. 


OFl'ICIAL  CUUKKsroNDEXCK.  365 

'',h<y.  14.  This  morning  I  received  the  following  communica- 
tion from  Captain  Greer : 

"  '  United  States  Stcam.ohip  Tirirem,  Smith  Sonnd,  Aug.  14, 1^73. 

"  *  Sin, — Having  this  morniiif;  passeil  near  to  Noitlniinljcrland  Island,  art'ording  a 

good  view  ol  tlie  same,  I  desire  you  to  ^tate  to  me  in  writing  whetlier  in  your  oiiinion 

the  said  ishmd  was  the  one  whieh  was  seen  by  you  w  Ik  ii  you  were  separated  from  the 

Pii/uiis,  in  October,  is'-j.     It'  in  your  ojiinion  it  is  not  the  i^lalld,  you  will  statu  to 

me  in  detail  the  reasons  why  you  tbrm  that  opinion. 

"'Kespeetfully,  etc.,  .I.\s.  S.  Gkker, 

"'Commiiudaut,  commanding. 
'"Geo.  E.  Tyson,  Ice-maater,  United  States  Navy, 

Uuited  States  Steamship  Tiiji-eitn.' 

"  To  which  I  made  the  following  reiAy : 

"Tnited  States  Steamship  Tiarrfi^,  at  Sea,  Ang.  15, 1^'". 

'••Stii, — My  reasons  for  thinking  Northumberland  Island  is  not  the  island  where 

the  Polnris  separated  from  me  are  as  follows,  viz.  ;  the  island  is  much  larger  than 

the  one  I  saw  the  PiJarifi  go  behind  ;   and  Ilakliiyt  Island,  off  tlie  north-west  end  of 

Niirthumlierland  Island,  is  larger  than  the  island — or  rock— olf  tlie  island  where  I 

last  saw  the  Polaris ;  and  the  surrounding  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Northuinberhmd 

Island  does  not  correspond  with  that  I  saw  at  the  time  of  separation. 

"  '  Very  respectfully,  tJKo.  E.  Tyson, 

"  'Ice-master,  Uuited  States  Navy. 
'Commander  James  A.  Gbeek,  United  States  Navy, 

commanding  United  States  Steamship  Tigress.' 

^''An/j.  14.  Blowing  a  strong  gale  from  the  soutli-cast.  We 
are  now  abreast  of  Northumberland  Island,  and  it  has  turned 
out  as  I  anticipated — the  Polaris  is,  or  was,  at  Littleton  Island. 
We  have  steamed  along  the  land  within  three  miles  of  it,  since 
leaving  Ctipe  York,  colors  flying  all  the  way,  so  as  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  wanderers,  if  they  are  anywhere  within  sight; 
but  we  have  seen  no  natives,  nor  any  thing  denoting  the  exist- 
ence of  human  beings.  We  are  now  on  the  classic  ground  of 
Kane  and  IIa3'es. 

"  This  evening  the  weather  is  much  better  ;  snow-squalls,  but 
very  little  wind.  As  we  approached  Littleton  Island,  I  recog- 
nised at  once  the  scene  of  our  separation  from  the  Polaris. 
Though  the  season  of  the  year  is  so  difterent,  being  then  in  al- 
most continuous  darkness ;  though  the  weather  is  now  compara- 
tively warm,  and  the  rocks  bare  of  snow,  yet  the  shape  of  the 
islands,  the  forms  of  the  rocks,  the  contour  of  the  'everlasting 
hills '  had  not  changed.  I  perceived  without  a  doubt  that  it  was 
from  this  point  that  I  had  been  floated  olf  on  that  marvelous 
God -built  raft,  which,  with  his  aid,  had  borne  our  company, 
through  fearful  perils  and  suffering,  to  safety,  home,  and  friends. 


36G  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

As  we  ncarcd  tlie  exact  spot,  I  could  not  but  give  thanks  to  God 
that  he  had  preserved  mc  to  come  back  and  see  by  the  light  of 
the  summer's  sun  the  scene  of  desolation  where  the  Polaris  had 
drifted  awa}''  from  us.  But  where  was  the  ship?  Nothing  was 
to  be  seen,  of  her.  By  7  p.m.  we  were  steaming  round  the  north 
side  of  Littleton  Island,  which  had  last  shut  out  the  Puhiri'i  from 
mv  siuht.  The  thouuht  came  to  me,  with  significant  meaning 
now,  of  that  devilish  proposition  which  I  recorded  at  the  time  in 
my  private  journal.  The  engines  were  now  stopped,  a  boat  low- 
ered and  manned  by  all  the  officers  of  the  vessel,  including  my- 
self; and  we  had  scarcely  got  clear  of  the  ship,  when  cries  from 
human  beings  were  heard  on  shore.  "VVe  were  about  one  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  beach  ;  and  as  these  voices  reached  our  ears, 
the  excitement  of  anticipation  put  double  speed  into  the  strokes 
of  the  oarsmen.  Our  boat  fairly  sprang  through  the  water:  but 
on  getting  nearer  to  the  shore,  I  was  convinced  by  the  actions  of 
the  party  that  they  were  not  those  whom  we  sought,  nor  white 
men  of  any  description.  Their  actions  and  antics  proclaimed 
them  Esquimaux  at  sight.  A  few  moments  more  and  we  were 
on  the  rock-strewn  beach  ;  and  there  the  first  thing  which  caught 
my  eye  was  an  old  hawser,  evidently  belonging  to  the  Polaris, 
one  end  fiist  to  a  rock,  the  other  afloat  in  ihe  water. 

"  The  natives — four  or  five — gathered  around  us,  and  I  was 
soon  in  conversation  with  them.  From  these  simple-minded  but 
truthful  Esquimaux  I  learned  that  the  fourteen  men  of  the  Polar/'s 
had  gone  south  some  two  months  ago.  Thev  had  built  two  boats 
with  material  taken  from  the  ship.  After  Buddington  and  his 
party  had  left,  the  Polaris  broke  out  of  the  ice,  had  drifted  off 
and  sunk,  to  the  great  grief  of  the  chief  to  whom  it  had  been  left 
a.^  a  legacy.  We  next  sighted  a  large  canvas  house.  On  ap- 
proaching it,  we  saw  the  wreck  and  ruin  of  the  fore -doomed 
ship  —  spars,  doors,  paneling,  sails,  rigging,  stores,  pork,  meal, 
tea,  corn,  potatoes,  books,  broken  compasses,  and  instruments  of 
various  kinds.  Eeturning  on  board  the  Tigress,  we  reported  the 
condition  of  affairs  to  Commander  Greer,  who  instantly  started 
for  shore,  returning  again  in  about  two  hours.  The  executive 
officer.  Lieutenant  White,  then  went,  and  I  accompanied  him, 
but  gained  no  additional  information.  We  picked  up  many  rel- 
ics of  the  Polaris,  such  as  books,  tools,  and  manuscripts,  which 
Captain  Greer  has  now  in  his  possession. 


LOSS  OF  THE  POLARIS.  367 

'•One  of  the  natives  informed  me  tbat  before  Captain  Biukling- 
ton  left  he  had  presented  the  Po^'iris  to  him.  The  native  was 
much  grieved  that  his  prize  had  sunk  and  was  lost  to  him.  We 
spent  the  whole  night  sounding  for  the  wreck,  but  sounded  in 
vain  ;  no  trace  of  her  could  be  found.  But  there,  on  shore,  was 
evidence  enough.  All  were  satisfied  that  the  Polaris  no  longer 
remained  afioat. 

"Captain  Greer  now  decided  to  return  at  once,  as  nothing 
toward  the  rescue  of  the  party  could  be  done  here ;  so  we  bore 
away  to  the  southward.  The  latitude  oi  Littleton  Island  is 
78°  24'  N. 

"  There  is  one  thing  certain  :  these  men  did  not  suffer  from  the 
want  of  food  or  fuel,  as  discarded  provisions  were  lying  scattered 
all  among  the  rocks,  and,  of  course,  the  natives  had  eaten  all  they 
wanted  in  the  interval  besides. 


SCENE  IN  SOUTHERN  GREENLAND. 


368  ARCTIC  EXPEKIENCES. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Ilomeward-bound. — Eire  I  Fire  I — An  lionored  Custom. — Contrast  of  tlie  Sailors 
Life. — A  Set-oti'  to  the  Midiiigia  Siin.^ — Heavy  Gale. — All  want  to  shoot  a  Bear. — 
Executive  Officer  White  the  '"killing"  Man. — A  narrow  E>cape. — Thoughts  of 
Home. — At  Upernavik  for  licpairs. — The  Danish  and  half-breed  Girls. — Dress. — 
Dancing. — A  startling  J\ecord. — At  Goodhavn  Harbor. — Captain  Tyson  visits  the 
Juniatd. — Continued  bad  Weather. — .Sight  Cape  Mercy. — The  Sea  sweeps  the  Gal- 
ley.—The  Cook  disgusted. — Etlects  of  the  Gale  in  the  Wardroom. — '"At  home" 
in  Niountelik  Harbor,  Cumberland  Gulf. 

"^•Iwy.  15.  nomeward-bound.  The  day  is  fine;  all  appear  in 
good  spirits,  Commander  Greer  especially,  lie  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful, it  being  but  one  month  since  the  Tigress  went  into  com- 
mission, before  she  was  lying  alongside  of  Littleton  Island.  I  do 
not  think  there  is  another  passage  on  record  equal  to  it ;  but  our 
spirits  are  a  little  dampened  at  not  finding  the  survivors.  I  have 
no  fears  but  that  they  are  all  alive  and  well ;  but  we  should  like 
to  have  had  the  pleasure  of  picking  them  up.  There  is  no  difti- 
culty  at  this  time  of  the  3'ear  in  working  down  to  Upernavik,  or 
even  getting  to  the  whaling-grounds.  I  feel  sure,  therefore,  that 
they  are  either  at  some  of  the  settlements  on  the  coast  of  Green- 
land, or  that  they  have  already  been  picked  u])  by  some  of  the 
English  or  Scotch  whalers. 

"^1",7  16.  Cold  to-day,  with  a  strong  easterly  wind.  At  1.15 
P.M.,  as  I  was  walking  the  bridge,  guiding  the  vessel  clear  of 
the  many  bergs  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  York,  the  boatswain's, 
mate  came  to  me.  'Sir,'  said  he,  'there  is  a  great  deal  of  smoke 
coming  through  the  forward  bulk-head.'  I  instantly  mistrusted 
fire.  Going  immediately  to  the  cabin,  I  informed  Captain  Greer. 
Captain  and  officers  were  soon  on  the  berth-deck;  the  hatches 
and  store-room  were  opened,  but  the  fire  was  not  there.  The 
fire-bell  was  then  rung,  calling  all  hands  to  quarters.  The  main 
hold  was  broken  out,  and  th^  decks  were  soon  covered  with  box- 
es, barrels,  etc.,  but  the  fire  was  at  last  found  to  be  in  the  coal- 
bunkers— the  coal  itself  was  on  fire.  We  immediately  com- 
menced hoisting  it  out  on  deck,  and  after  shoveling  many  tons 


AN  HONORED  CUSTOM.  860 

from  the  starboard  lo  the  port  side,  got  at  the  fire  and  flooded  it 
with  water. 

"  In  forty-five  minutes  from  the  time  all  hands  were  called  to 
quarters  the  watch  was  piped  below  again.  There  had  been  no 
unseemly  excitement;  all  were  v'^alm  and  cool  as  a  summer's 
morning  after  rain.  Here  we  see  the  true  American  spirit  of 
self-control.  The  incident  was  one  to  make  me  feel  proud  of  my 
countrymen. 

^'■Aiiff.  17.  We  have  a  severe  gale  on  us;  thick — sometimes 
hail,  then  rain.  We  are  making  but  little  headway  against  wind 
and  sea. 

"It  is  a  time-honored  custom  in  the  navy  to  devote  Saturday 
night  to  drinking  to  the  health  of  sweethearts  and  wives.  I  gen- 
erally honored  this  usage  '  more  in  the  breach  than  in  the  observ- 
ance,' but  last  night  I  joined  my  brother-ofiicers.  With  the  wild 
storm  raging  over  these  northern  seas,  we  all  assembled  in  the 
wardroom,  and  until  midnight  consoled  ourselves  for  our  en- 
forced  absence  from  the  kind  hearts  we  left  behind  us  by  drink- 
ing to  their  health  and  happiness,  and  wishing  ourselves  a  safe 
and  speedy  return.  But  at  twelve  it  was  my  watch  on  deck,  and 
out  I  tumbled,  from  the  light  and  warmth  and  joviality  of  the 
wardroom,  into  the  cold  and  darkness  of  the  storm.  A  very  dif- 
ferent next  four  hours  awaited  me — rain,  hail,  wind,  icebergs,  and 
thick  weather.  Such  are  the  sudden  contrasts  of  the  sailor's  life. 
Before  my  watch  was  out,  at  4  a.m.,  I  was  thoroughly  soaked 
through,  and  it  was  with  no  gentle  summer  ruin  either. 

"  On  the  l-lth  inst.  we  had  bidden  adieu  to  the  midnight  sun. 
On  that  occasion,  Captain  Greer  had  ordered  the  American  ensign 
set,  and  at  precisely  twelve,  low  meridian,  gave  the  beautiful  lu- 
minary a  set-oft"  with  three  hearty  cheers.  It  w^as  a  fitting  fare- 
well.    IIow  few,  indeed,  have  ever  seen  a  midnight  sun  ! 

"J-w^.  17.  The  gale  increases;  the  sea  is  white  with  foam.  I 
have  been  thinking  all  day  about  the  loss  of  the  Polaris :  it  ap- 
pears to  me  she  could  have  been  saved.  The  more  I  think  over 
all  the  circumstances,  the  more  T  believe  it  to  have  been  a  pre- 
meditated aftair. 

^^Anff.  18.  The  gale  has  abated,  leaving  us  inclosed  in  thick 
fog  and  drizzling  rain.  Many  bergs  to  be  seen,  as  the  fog  occa- 
sionally lifts;  then  all  enshrouded  again  in  the  dreary  black  en- 
velop.    This  morning,  about  7  30,  as  I  was  walking  the  bridge, 

24 


370  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

something  white  appeared  under  the  bows  of  the  Ti'jrcss.  The 
vessel  was  going  very  slowly  at  the  time.  I  was  not  long  in 
making  out  the  white  object  to  be  a  Polar  bear.  Now  Captain 
Greer,  Lieutenant  White,  and  indeed  .ill  the  officers  of  the  Tifjress, 
were  extremely  anxious  to  shoot  a  Polar  bear.  As  soon  as  I  was 
certain  that  it  was  a  bear,  and  no  illusion,  I  rang  the  bell  to  stop, 
and  sent  the  quartermaster  to  call  the  captain  and  Lieutenant 
White.  I  also  sent  a  messenger  to  the  wardroom  to  inform  the 
other  officers.  Nobody  vvas  up  as  yet,  but  soon  the  captain  ap- 
peared, half  dressed;  then  Commagere,  the //(^/-aW  reporter;  next 
the  doctor;  and  in  about  five  minutes  there  was  at  least  a  dozen 
rifles  cracking  away  at  his  bearship.  The  fog  now  lifted  some, 
but  the  bear  was  as  yet  untouched,  although  at  least  fifty  rifle- 
balls  had  been  fired  at  him.  The  captain  then  ordered  all  to  stop 
shooting.  A  boat  was  lowered  for  !Mr.  White;  he  get  off  in  it, 
and  after  a  good  long  chase  succeeded  in  shooting  the  bear,  in 
evidence  of  which  we  have  had  roast  bear  for  dinner. 

"This  evening  we  had  quite  a  narrow  escape  from  collision 
with  a  berg.  T'lere  are  hundreds  of  bergs  in  sight — in  fact,  there 
are  so  many  it  is  impossible  to  count  them,  especially  as  it  has 
been  foggy  by  spells  through  the  day.  But  this  evening,  at  7.30, 
the  fog  was  so  tliick,  as  the  sailors  sav,  '  vou  could  cut  it  with  a 
knife,'  It  was  my  watch  oii  deck ;  from  six  to  eight  it  was  very 
dense,  and  the  vessel  going  about  five  knots.  I  was  keeping, 
too,  as  sharp  a  lookout  as  ]io.«sible  while  walking  the  bridge.  I 
bad  also  a  man  on  the  top-gallant  forecastle  station  especially  to 
watch  closely,  with  orders  to  call  out  quickly  should  he  discover 
any  thing.  I  was  pacing  up  and  down,  thinking  of  home — 
thoughts  of  home  are  all  tlie  pleasure  a  sailor  has  in  his  lonely 
watches  at  sea.  Suddenly,  through  the  densest  of  Mack  fogs,  I 
])erceived  a  bright  streak.  I  thought  at  first  it  was  onh'  the  fog 
breaking  away;  but  I  had  little  time  to  reflect.  'Hard  a  star- 
board !'  I  thundered  out,  in  tones  so  loud  and  sharp  as  brought 
the  captain  and  every  body  on  deck  in  double-quick  time.  I 
had  rung  the  warning  cry  none  too  soon,  for  as  the  vessel  swung 
off,  there,  high  above  our  masts — the  top  of  the  berg  was  indeed 
invisible — but  as  hi";h  as  we  could  see.  there  loomed  this  cisan- 
tic  iceberg.  We  cleared  her  but  by  a  few  yards ;  it  was  a  nar- 
row shave  at  that.  '. 

'■'■Axuj.  19.  It  is  once  more  clear  and  pleasant.     At  2.  I'.M.  en- 


AT  UPEKXAVIK  FOR  REPAIRS.  371 

tered  the  harbor  of  Tessuisak.  Mr.  Jansen  met  us  just  before  tlu- 
vessel  arrived  at  the  anchorage.  Mr.  Jansen,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, is  'governor'  here — governor  of  three  frame  houses,  and 
about  fifty  Esquimaux,  and  perhai)s  the  same  number  of  hall- 
breeds.  Mr.  Jansen  informed  Captain  Greer,  on  comimr  on  board, 
that  nothing  had  been  seen  or  heard  of  the  two  boats  containing 
the  P'J'iris  survivors.  Consequently,  Captain  Greer,  will  not  an- 
chor, but,  getting  a  pilot,  will  at  once  proceed  to  Upernavik  by 
way  of  the  inside  passage.  Governor  Jansen  also  stated  that  the 
Juniata  had  left  for  Disco.  So  we  shall  touch  at  llpernavik,  and 
then  go  on  to  Disco,  sending  home  dispatches  by  the  Jn/tialc. 
From  Disco  the  Ti<jress  will  go  over  to  the  west  side,  and  seek 
out  the  English  and  Scotch  whalers,  hoping  to  get  some  informa- 
tion from  them  of  the  two  boats  and  their  crews. 

^'A>iij.  20.  Dark  and  dismal.  Fog,  wind,  rain,  and  snow- 
squalls;  but  we  arc  safely  moored  in  the  little  harbor  of  Uper- 
navik ;  anchor  and  three  hawsers  out  to  secure  the  vessel ;  a  Ions; 
beavv  swell  rolling  in  from  seaward.  The  weather  is  lookinii' 
very  bad;  the  barometer  is  very  low;  that,  with  the  thick  fog, 
has  induced  Captain  Greer  to  stop  here  two  or  three  days;  need- 
ing, also,  this  opportunity  to  overhaul  and  repair  the  boilers, 
which  are  sadly  in  need  of  it.  It  is  evident  to  me  that  Budding- 
ton  must  have  got  on  board  of  one  of  the  whale-ships.  lie  has 
now  been  about  two  months  on  his  southward  passage. 

'•  Here  wo  are  at  Upernavik,  which  is  next  to  the  most  northern 
settlement  (Tessuisak)  in  the  civilized  world.  Here,  too,  still  re- 
mains good  old  Governor  Rudolph,  who,  though  a  European,  has 
spent  so  many  winters  in  this  chill,  rough,  uncongenial  part  of 
the  world.  There  arc  but  few  buildings  here:  some  six  wooderi 
houses,  occupied  b}-  Danes  either  as  dwellings  or  store-houses. 
The  natives  and  half-breeds  occupy  stone  or  turf  huts,  and  these 
huts  are  but  about  six  feet  high  in  the  interior.  There  they  all 
bundle  in  together — men,  women,  and  children  ;  here  on  the 
lonely  shores  of  Greenland,  with  scarce  a  sound  to  listen  to  but 
the  crushing  and  grinding  of  the  2Tim  and  ghastly  bergs;  for  in 
one  look  seaward  hundreds  of  bergs  can  be  seen  from  this  place, 
varied  only  by  the  beating  of  the  waves  against  this  truly  rock- 
bound  coast.  Then,  too,  all  through  the  winter  such  short  days 
and  long  nights,  and  ice  everywhere.  Yet  these  people  appear 
happy  and  contented ;  yet  they  see  nothing,  and  scarcely  know 


372  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

any  thing,  of  tbe  outside  world.  But  they  have  their  own  pleas- 
ures and  modes  of  amusement.  They  love  music  and  they  love 
dancing,  and  are  made  supremely  happy  by  the  arrival  of  a  chance 
ship,  like  the  Juniata  or  Tlijreas.  Then  out  come  the  violins, 
and  the  girls  dressed  in  their  best.  Many  of  them,  especially  the 
half-breeds,  are  quite  pretty,  and  fair  as  the  fairest  of  our  own 
belles  at  home.  Some  have  the  light  hair  and  blue  eyes  of  the 
Danes.  And  ♦heir  dress,  too,  is  very  picturesque :  a  pretty  little 
jacket,  made,  perhaps,  of  colored  calico  seal-skin  pants  prettily 
trimmed,  and,  like  the  jacket,  setting  tight  to  the  body ;  white, 
red,  or  blue  boots  complete  the  costume,  while  the  hair  is  tied 
up  with  bright  -  colored  ribbons,  and  a  necklace  of  beads  is  also 
worn,  if  it  can  be  obtained.  We  have  just  received  an  invitation 
to  come  on  shore  this  evening  to  a  dance. 

^^Avg.  21.  Clear  and  pleasant.  Last  evening  the  officers  had 
their  dance  in  the  old  carpenter-shop  of  kind  Dr.  Kudolph.  The 
girls  were  all  decked  out  in  their  very  best,  and  they  are  really 
excellent  dancers;  and  as  for  waltzing,  they  would  compare  fa- 
vorably with,  if  they  do  not  excel,  our  own  beautiful  girls.  In 
one  thing  they  certainly  have  the  advantage — the  freedom  of 
their  limbs  is  not  embarrassed  with  hoops  or  long  trains. 

^^Ecenhvj.  We  have  again  danced  the  German,  all  joining — 
Captain  Greer,  Executive  Officer  White,  Lieutenant  Wilkins,  and 
all  the  other  ofliccrs  of  the  Tigress — and  had  a  very  pleasant  time, 
an  agreeable  break  in  the  monotony  of  our  voyage,  and  such  a 
lone  voj^age,  on  the  very  outskirts  of  the  world!  Certainly, 
Greenland  is  but  '  half  made  up.' 

^^Aug.  22.  It  is  a  dark,  lowering  day,  and  cold ;  last  evening 
the  frost  was  quite  severe.  We  kept  up  our  dance  till  midnight, 
so  to-day  aching  heads  and  aching  limbs  are  in  order. 

^^Au>/.  28.  Cloudy  and  cool ;  light  north-west  winds.  At  2  P.M. 
we  weigh  anchor  for  Disco,  the  governor  firing  a  salute  of  three 
guns  on  our  departure.  Our  rigging  was  manned  by  the  crew, 
who  gave  three  hearty  cheers  in  return.  The  girls  lined  the 
beach,  like  a  fringe,  to  witness  our  departure.  Poor  things !  they 
seldom  see  any  body  except  those  of  their  own  settlement,  and 
must  pass  very  lonely,  but  I  hope  not  unhappy,  lives. 

"I  had  an  opportunity  last  evening  of  looking  over  the  mu- 
tilated diaries  and  journals  left  in  the  deserted  but  off  Littleton 
Island.     Not  one  but  has  the  leaves  cut  out  relating  to  Captain 


AT  GOUDIIAVN  IIAHBUU.  373 

Hall's  death ;  but  in  one  of  them  I  read,  '  CajMin  IlaWs  jxqycr-^ 
tliroirn  oixrhoard  to-daij.''  Xor  do  any  of  them  contain  any  ac- 
count of  my  separation  from  the  Polaris  last  October  [1871].  It 
may  be  that  full  journals  have  been  carried  home.  "We  shall 
see.  There  is  one  thing  which  surprises  me  very  much  in  these 
records,  namely,  their  selfish  and  egotistical  character. 

"yl»y.  24.  We  have  had  wretched  weather  since  leaving  Tes- 
suisak  and  Upernavik.  Last  night  snow  and  sleet,  and  it  has 
continued  up  to  the  present  hour  (5  p.m.).  Disco  is  in  sight. 
We  can  see  the  lofty  snow-clad  mountains  higli  above  the  dark 
vapor  which  hangs  over  and  surrounds  the  island. 

^^Ai(;j.  25.  Arrived  at  Goodhavn  Harbor  at  2.15  A.M.  Here 
Commander  Greer  reported  the  discoveries  which  had  been  made 
to  Commander  Brpine,  of  the  JvjiiaUt;  and  the  latter  subsequent- 
ly signaled  the  'fi<jress  to  send  me  on  board,  Commander  Braine 
wishing  to  consult  me  as  to  whether  the  Juniata  could  be  service- 
able in  pursuing  the  search  on  the  west  coast.  1  advised  that 
the  Jfriiiat't  could  probably  do  more  good  (if  the  Polaris  party 
had  not  already  been  rescued)  by  remaining  at  Goodhavn  to  re- 
ceive them  on  their  arrival  there;  and  also  that  the  Jiau'ala  was 
not  fitted  to  contend  with  the  ice  and  rough  weather  to  be  ex- 
pected on  the  west  coast ;  but  that  the  Tigress  was  so  fitted,  and 
could  cover  the  whole  ground. 

"  Left  again  at  twelve,  noon,  for  the  west  coast.  They  are  all 
safe  enough  in  some  whaler  long  before  this,  so  we  shall  go  over 
to  the  west  side  among  the  whaling-fleet,  and  may  very  likely 
bear  of  their  rescue.  Shortly  after  leaving  Disco,  encountered  a 
severe  blow,  accompanied  by  rain. 

"Aug.  26.  Good  weather  this  morning;  many  small  patches  of 
ice  in  sight,  but  nothing  as  yet  looking  like  a  pack. 

"  This  evening  we  have  the  west  coast  in  sight,  about  twenty- 
five  miles  distant ;  many  bergs  and  many  streams  of  ice ;  so  that 
we  are  compelled  at  times  to  go  very  far  out  of  our  course  to  get 
around  them.     We  are  in  lat.  67°  40'  N, 

^^Ang.  27.  Cloudy,  and  at  times  rain ;  it  has  been  blowing 
heavy  through  the  night ;  it  is  a  little  more  moderate  to-day, 
but  still  very  bad  weather.  We,  however,  n.ake  a  smooth  sea  of 
it  by  lying  under  the  lee  of  the  ice,  holding  the  vessel  there  by 
steam-power,  and  waiting  for  good  weather.  Our  latitude  same 
as  yesterday. 


374  AK(  TIC  EXl'EKILXCES. 

■'^1?/'/.  23.  Cloudv,  and  at  tiinei:  fofrcrv.  Wc  have  been  steam- 
ing  tlirougli  the  pack  all  day;  but  Ca{)tain  Greer  is  naturally  very 
nervous,  fearing  injury  to  the  vessel,  and  wishes  to  get  out,  so 
the  y'/y/T-ss  is  headed  to  the  eastward  again. 

"^'1(/'/.  29.  Kaining  and  foiitrv,  and  I  must  sav  about  as  mean 
and  dirty  weather  as  one  could  desire.  This  morning  we  got  the 
vessel  out  of  the  paek.  It  was  my  watch,  and  a  disagreeable 
watch  It  was — raining,  thick  fog,  and  surrounded  by  ice:  three 
very  unpleasant  companions  these.  The  way  things  are  worked 
here  will  make  it  almost  impossible  for  us  to  ever  find  the  whal- 
ers. Our  little  'J'i'jnss  was  built  for  ice  navigation,  but  now  she 
is  handled  as  if  they  were  afraid  of  rubbing  the  paint  off  her. 

".-I'^y, 30.  Another  stormy  night;  snow,  wind,  high  sea.  Yes- 
terday evening,  just  at  dark,  I  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  the 
pack,  but,  once  from  under  the  shelter  of  the  friendly  ice.  met  a 
heavy  gale  from  the  south-west;  thick  fog  at  times,  then  again 
thick  snow-squalls;  fog  again,  squalls,  pitch  darkness,  with  all 
the  time  a  heavy  sea  rutming,  made  it  a  very  unpleasant  night. 
This  morning  it  is  pleasant  again ;  the  sea  has  gone  down ;  the 
weather  quite  clear.  Some  ice  is  seen  on  our  starboard  beam. 
We  are  now  steaming  in  toward  Cape  Mercy,  the  northern  cape 
of  Cumberland  Gulf,  not  far  from  where  I  sighted  the  abandoned 
British  ship  Resolute  m  1855. 

'•'■Aug.  31.  We  are  again  in  bad  weather,  the  pest  of  the  north- 
ern regions — fog,  and,  combined  with  this,  ice,  snow,  sleet,  and 
a  heavy  sea;  and  the  vessel  is  rolling  badly,  one  sea  this  morn- 
ing making  a  clean  sweep  through  the  galley,  much  to  the  dis- 
gust of  the  cook,  who  was  almost  submerged  under  the  various 
compounds  he  had  prepared  for  breakfast.  The  ice  is  scattering, 
and  I  hope  to-morrow  will  see  the  little  Tigress  safely  harbored. 
There  is  but  little  use  in  keeping  under  way  out  here,  burning 
coal,  and  with  no  hope  whatever  of  finding  the  Scotch  whalers, 
as  we  do  not  lot^k  where  we  should  to  find  them. 

"*St;;j/.  1.  Yesterday  and  to-day  have  been  about  as  uncomfort- 
able as  days  can  be.  Last  night  the  gale  blew  very  heavy,  with 
a  corresponding  sea  running.  Xow  one  can  get  along  with  a 
good  stiff  gale  of  wind,  if  it  don't  blow  too  hard ;  but  wind,  sea, 
snow,  darkness,  icebergs,  and,  worse  still,  hummocks  and  jiieces 
of  floe,  with  scarcely  a  possibility  of  perceiving  them,  make  a 
very  disagreeable   and   not  altogether  safe   combination.     The 


•AT  HUME.' 


o ""  •■ 


force  of  the  wind  beat  the  poa  into  a  white  foam,  which  made  it 
the  more  diflicult  to  distinguish  ice  from  the  white-caps.  The 
Tigress  fouled  several  pieces,  but,  fortunately,  sustained  no  dam- 
age. It  is  intensely  dark  to-night,  the  wind  still  blowing  fresh, 
and  a  heavy  sea ;  but  it  is  far  better  than  last  night.  Last  night 
one  could  not  see  for  the  blinding  snow.  To-night,  as  one  of 
those  pleasant  varieties  which  make  the  spice  of  life,  we  are  in- 
dulged with  a  smart  rain. 

'•Spf.2.  Another  day  of  tossing,  pitching,  rolling,  tumbling: 
in  fact,  one  gets  screwed  and  twisted  into  all  imaginable  shapes 
in  such  vile  w^eather.  The  gale  still  continues,  but  with  miti- 
gated fury,  accompanied  with  a  shade  lighter  snow.  Our  ward- 
room is  a  complete  wreck;  broken  chairs,  crockery,  with  such 
heaps  of  wet  clothing,  and  dirty  rubbisli,  as  would  have  a  tend- 
ency to  si.ock  the  nerves  of  the  refined. 

"Cumberland  Gulf,  Sppl.  -i.  This  seems  like  home — it  is  my 
old  whaling-ground,  and  here  we  arc,  snug  and  comfortable,  in 
Niountelik  Uarbor,  so  fomiliar  to  me.  We  arrived  liere  this 
morning.  The  late  gale  was  very  severe,  even  for  this  region, 
and  we  arc  all  '-lad  to  tret  into  harbor. 


ENOA.MrHE.VT  NEAH   IVUITCT. 


a 70  AlitTIC  EXJ'LUIEXCES. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

A  Cliange  for  the  better. — Kei)iiiriiig  Damages. — Company  in  the  Gnlf. — Looking 
for  .Scotch  Whalers. — Tlie  Natives  bring  Deer-meat  to  the  Ship. — Arctic  Hi.ds 
flying  South. — ('a]itain  Hall's  old  I'roteges. — Deniorali/.atiou  of  the  Natives  of  the 
west  Coast. — Collecting  ••  Sjiecinieiis. " — 15ad  Case  of  ••Stone  Fever."' — '•Time 
and  Tide  wait  for  no  Man." — Billys  Curiosities. — Captain  Tyson  meets  his  late 
Hc>ciior,  Captain  Hartlctt. — Mica  S])cciilati()n.— Short  of  Coal. — ITow  we  lost  our 
Diiuier. — A  saltatory  ])iniiig-table. — Sight  a  Scotch  Whaler. — Arrival  at  Ivgi- 
tut,  South  Greenhuul. — Meet  the  Fox,  of  Arctic  i'ame. — Kryolite,  Coal,  Fish, 
and  another  (iale. — Friend  Schnider,  the  fat  Dane. — Canaries,  I'igeons,  etc.,  do- 
mesticated here.— Tiie  Crew  overworked. — A  Hurricane. — Antics  of  the  Furni- 
ture.— Force  of  Sea-wave.s. 

'"Since  arriving  bere  we  have  had  most  splendid  weather, 
calm,  clear,  and  cold.  The  crew  have  been  continually  employ- 
ed in  getting  stone  from  shore  for  ballast.  The  engineer.s  are 
very  busy  repairing  boilers.  The  little  iScotch  brig  Ahrf,  Cap- 
tain Walker,  and  the  American  brig  Iltlfu  F.,  Captain  Palmer, 
are  here.  Captain  Walker  sailed  from  home  last  April;  has 
been  in  the  ice  over  two  months,  trying  to  force  his  way  into  the 
gulf.  Reports  that  he  met  a  great  deal  of  ice,  heavy  gales  of 
wind,  and  had  many  narrow  escapes.  Captain  Palmer,  of  the 
Il'/len  F.,  had  two  schooners  last  fall,  but  lost  one,  she  breaking 
out  of  her  winter-quarters  in  December  last,  and  drifting  out  into 
the  gulf  lie  abandoned  her,  and,  with  his  crew,  reached  the 
shore.  One  man  perished,  and  another  was  severely  frost-bitten, 
but  recovered.  One  of  the  Esquimaux,  who  was  hunting  on  the 
ice  last  March,  got  adrift;  and  the  ice  carrying  him  southward, 
he  has  never  since  been  heard  from, 

"  I  know  not  what  we  are  going  to  do  on  leaving  here — wheth- 
er we  are  going  directly  home,  or  north  again,  trying  to  find  the 
Scotch  whalers.  I  think  they  could  be  found  (if  we  went  to  the 
right  place)  in  about  five  days,  and  that  would  end  our  cruise. 

'■'Sept.  11.  Weather  extremely  bad;  gales  of  wind,  snow,  and 
rain.  We  are  now  lying  with  both  anchors  down — 75  fathoms 
of  chain  on  one,  and  45  on  the  other.  Two  vessels  have  arrived 
since  the  7th  inst,  the  Clara  and  the  Perseverance,  both  Scotch 
vessels.     An  expected  American  brig,  belonging  to  New  Lon- 


"BLIND  GKOHGK,"  "BUB,    AND  "POLLY."  377 

don,  has  not  arrived  yet,  and  fears  are  entertained  concerning 
her.  Some  of  the  Ksquitnaux  have  got  back  from  hunting,  bring- 
ing a  sujiply  of  deer-meat,  for  the  skins  uf  whieh  the  oflicers  are 
ready  to  trade  largely. 

•'  Still  at  work  repairing  boilers,  "We  dare  not  go  anywhere, 
as  we  have  not  coal  enougii  to  carry  us  home,  but  must  depend 
chiefly  on  our  sails. 

'•iS'pt.  12.  Weather  good  again.  The  Cldra  and  the  I/'kn  F. 
left  this  morning  for  the  other  side  of  the  gulf.  "We  are  taking 
in  ballast  still,  and  I  fear  the  vessel  will  be  so  deep  that  there 
will  be  little  comfort  in  her.  I  suppose  we  shall  remain  here 
until  the  captain  is  sure  that  news  has  been  received  of  the  Po- 
laris crew  at  home,  and  that  will  not  be  later  than  the  10th  of 
October,  as  the  Scotch  ships  arrive  about  that  time  in  Scotland; 
and  this  season  they  have  left  for  home  earlier  than  usual. 

'^  Sept.  18.  Dark,  dismal,  cold  day.  Ice  made  last  night,  and 
it  promises  to  be  an  early  winter.  The  Arctic  marine  birds  are 
already  on  their  way  to  a  more  genial  climate.  It  will  not  be 
many  days  before  fast  ice  and  the  long  Arctic  night  sets  in. 
Several  boats'  crews  of  Esquimaux  arrived  from  hunting  last 
evening,  bringing  considerable  deer-meat.  They  cany  most  of 
it  to  the  Scotch  vessels,  as  there  they  can  get  red  rum  in  trade 
for  meat  and  skins. 

"Here  is  'Blind  George,' 'Bob,' and  'Polly,' who  are  all  his- 
torically embalmed  in  Captain  Hall's  book  which  describes  his 
Frobisher  Strait  expedition.  Bob's  course  is  nearly  run.  1 
found  him  lying  on  his  back,  in  dirt  and  filth,  wasted  to  a  skel- 
eton. Polly — sore-eyed  Polly — is  as  talkative  as  ever,  and  looks 
as  young  as  she  did  twelve  years  ago ;  she  looked  sixty  then,  and 
she  looks  the  same  now.  Many  have  died.  Within  the  last 
three  years,  as  near  as  I  can  tell,  there  appears  to  have  been 
about  three  deaths  among  these  natives  to  every  two  births;  so 
at  this  rate  the  Esquimaux  will  soon  be  extinct  in  this  region. 
The  great  mortality  among  the  Esquimaux  is  caused,  I  think, 
by  contact  with  the  whites.  They  introduced  rum,  tobacco,  and 
disease  among  these  poor  natives,  who  have  no  medicines  or 
medical  practice  to  stop  the  spread  of  the  evil ;  so  they  transmit 
it  all  unmitigated  from  one  to  another.  There  are  no  Christian 
missionaries  here.  The  country  is  too  poor  to  support  them, 
I  have  often  wondered  how  it  was  that  the  Christian  world  has 


378  AIUTIC  EXPKUIKNCKS. 

rio  completely  ignored  ilie  existence  of  thc?e  tribes  on  the  west 
coast  of  Davis  Strait. 

"As  wo  are  doing  nothing,  the  officers  spend  most  of  their 
time  in  collecting  specimens.  There  are  many  garnets  to  be 
found  —  very  imperfect,  however;  and  quartz  of  two  or  three 
kinds:  rose  and  white  arc  very  plentiful.  Some  of  the  oflicers 
claim  to  have  found  stones  of  some  value,  but  I  have  not  seen 
any  such.  Mica  is  here  in  abundance,  and  its  collection  could,  I 
believe,  be  made  to  pay.  One  of  our  company  got  the  'stone 
fever'  bad  this  morning.  Taking  chisel  and  hammer,  and  a 
good-sized  canvas  bag,  in  which  to  put  the  precious  specimens, 
he  started  off  to  make  his  fortune.  This  evening,  just  at  dark. 
he  returned.  The  officer  of  the  deck  heard  his  hail,  but  the 
shore-going  boat  was  at  that  time  away,  some  of  the  otHeers  hav- 
ing gone  with  her,  about  half  a  mile  to  the  north,  to  some  of  the 
natives'  huts  trading.  No  other  boat  was  allowed  to  be  lowered: 
so  Billy  had  to  wait  until  it  returned.  lie  sat  himself  down  on  a 
rock,  which  happened  to  be  on  an  extensive  shoal.  lie  was  on 
the  outer  edge  of  it,  looking  wistfully  toward  the  Ti'jrcss,  and  as 
the  inside  of  the  shoal  was  lower  than  the  off  shore,  and  the  tide 
was  setting  in,  he  was,  without  knowing  it,  very  soon  surrounded 
by  water.  Suddenly  discovering  that  he  was  on  an  improvised 
island  of  somewhat  limited  extent,  he  yelled  most  lustily  for  re- 
lief, and  we  finally  got  a  boat  out  to  him.  But  poor  Billy  was 
the  most  frightened  man  I  have  seen  for  many  a  day. 

"After  supper,  Billy,  who  had  by  this  time  recovered  his  spir- 
its, was  showing  his  beautiful  specimens,  and  among  them  he 
handed  around  what  he  called  a  fossil;  but  the  laugh  was  against 
him,  and  his  countenance  blank  with  surprise,  when  an  Arctic  ex- 
pert informed  him,  and  that  truly,  that  it  was  a  fine  specimen  of 
canine  pxuviaj. 

'■^  Sept.  14.  Quite  pleasant  to-day,  and  at  times  calm.  The  New- 
foundland steamer  Hector  arrived  this  morning  from  the  head  of 
the  gulf.  Her  master  was  Captain  Bartlett,  the  good  old  man 
who  picked  me  off  the  ice  on  the  last  day  of  April.  I  was  sorry 
to  learn  that  he  came  up  here  expressly  to  seine  white  grampus, 
for  it  has  proved  a  failure,  and  Captain  Bartlett  will  consequent- 
ly be  a  loser.  I  sincerely  hope  that  a  good  and  kind  Providence 
will  take  care  of  him  to  the  end  of  his  days. 

"At  10.30  A.M.  all  bands  were  mustered  for  inspection;  at  11, 
divine  service.     So  we  spend  our  Sundays. 


SKillTIXG  A  SCOTCH  WIIALIIR.  37J« 

"A'/'/.  ir».  We  are  still  engaged  taking  in  ballast.  Last  night 
considerable  snow  lell ;  it  is  not  snowing  tliis  morning,  but  there 
is  plenty  of  ice.  Thiek  icicles  are  banging  from  the  gunwales  of 
the  boats. 

"The  olTicers  who  are  scientifically  inclined  are  still  making 
their  daily  excursions  on  shore,  but,  remembering  the  fate  of 
Billy,  arc  very  careful  of  the  returning  tides.  That  sufleiing  in- 
dividual felt  so  aggrieved  by  his  enforced  stay  upon  his  little 
island,  that  he  made  an  official  report,  in  the  nature  of  a  com- 
plaint against  the  officer  of  the  deck  (I  happened  to  be  that  un- 
fortunate); but  he  has  recovered  his  temper  since  then,  and  now 
wishes  to  go  into  the  mica  business  with  me,  he  having  discover- 
ed great  quantities  on  shore. 

'■'■  Si'pt.  20.  Fog,  rain,  and  wind.  Nothing  of  consequence  has 
occurred  since  the  15th.  On  the  16th  we  got  under  way,  Captain 
Greer  being  determined  to  still  search  for  the  English  whalers. 
He  will  try  to  get  one  hundred  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of 
coal  at  Ivgitut,  on  the  coast  of  Greenland,  which  we  are  now 
approaching.  There  is  considerable  ice  and  very  bad  weather; 
our  little  Ti<irt^s  still  rolling  and  pitching,  notwithstanding  the 
quantity  of  ballast  we  have  taken  in. 

'■'■Sept.  21.  Another  day  of  rolling,  pitching,  and  gyrating. 
We  are  not  the  most  comfortably  situated  of  human  beings  just 
at  this  moment.  Our  dining-table,  with  all  the  dinner,  has  just 
turned  topsy-turvy,  smashing  many  of  the  dishes,  and  utterly  de- 
stroying most  of  the  food. 

"This  morninir,  about  ten  o'clock,  we  siohted  a  vessel ;  we  are 
lyitjg  to  on  the  starboard  tack  under  the  fore  and  aft  sails  head- 
ing north.  The  vessel,  which  I  believe  to  be  a  Scotch  whaler,  is 
directly  to  leeward.  Report  is  made  to  Captain  Greer  of  the 
fact,  but  no  notice  is  taken  of  it  or  the  vessel.  I  suppose  we 
shall  ma.._  a  show  of  staying  three  or  four  days  longer,  and  then 
for  home. 

''■Sept.  29.  Here  we  are  safely  harbored  at  Ivgitut,  South 
Greenland,  the  famous  place  for  kryolite.  We  arrived  here  on 
the  27th.  There  is  an  English  bark  and  a  Danish  barkentine  in. 
Here,  also,  is  the  celebrated  little  steamer  Fox  which  Lady  Frank- 
lin sent  out,  under  command  of  Captain  M'Clintock,  in  search  of 
her  husband. 

"  There  is  abundance  of  coal  here,  so  that  can  no  longer  be  an 


o«0 


xUlCTIC  KXPERIENCES. 


KUYOI.ITE  MINE. 


excuse.  We  have  here  also  an  opportunity  to  get  some  fresh  fish. 
Cod  are  quite  plentiful,  and  also  another  very  large  fish  called 
by  the  people  here  'cat-fish  ;'  it  is  excellent  eating,  and  I  should 
think  some  of  them  would  weigh  a  hundred  pounds  or  more. 

"  Oct.  3.  A  splendid  day ;  the  land,  or  rather  the  mountains, 
have  their  white  winter  coats  on.  The  day  before  yesterday  we 
had  one  of  the  most  severe  gales  we  have  experienced  since  leav- 
inir  home.     Although  in  harbor,  our  situation  was  most  danc^er- 

CO/  o 

ous,  as  the  anchorage  is  so  very  poor.  We  parted  our  shore 
moorings,  and  expected  every  moment  to  part  from  our  port- 
anchor,  the  only  one  then  holding  the  vessel,  except  one  little 
kedge.  Finally  we  succeeded,  in  the  very  teeth  of  the  gale,  in 
carrying  two  hawsers  ashore,  one  eight  inches  and  the  other  six 
inches  in  circumference.  Making  these  fiist,  we  felt  much  more 
secure.  The  gale  abated  toward  evening,  but  settled  down  into 
heavy  rain,  with  some  little  sleet,  and  snow  later  in  the  night. 

"  The  next  morning  proved  fair,  and  we  resamed  our  coaling. 
In  fact  we  never  stopped  work,  even  during  the  storm ;  but  the 


CANARIES,  PIGEONS,  ETC.  381 

crew  were  kept  at  work  exposed  during  the  whole  of  the  gale. 
Never  in  my  life  have  I  seen  men  worked  so  hard,  and  that  con- 
tinuously. The  officers  are  worked  hard  too,  but  they  bear  it 
better  than  the  men. 

"Speaking  of  Ivgitut,  the  land  of  kryolite,  we  have  here  quite 
a  company  of  Danes.  There  is,  first,  the  manager  of  the  scien- 
tific department,  and  the  old  fat  Schnider,  who  looks  more  like 
two  barrels  of  beer  than  one  ;  there  are  also  the  doctor  and 
.several  other  official.^,  and  about  a  hundred  workmen.  Fat 
Schnider  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  at  Fiscanues  two  years 
ago,  when  on  the  Pvh(ri>>,  outward-bound.  lie  is  the  hugest  mon- 
ster in  bulk  I  ever  saw.  but  a  jr;!ly  good  fellow,  grotesque  withal, 
especially  when  laughing,  as  he  then  presents  a  prodigious  cavity 
quite  devoid  of  teeth.     Dentists  do  not  abound  in  these  regions. 

'^Satiin/<tf/,  Off.  4.  We  are  off.  All  the  coal  is  on  board — one 
hundred  and  ninety  tons  in  all.  Vv'e  are  now,  at  2  P.M.,  heaving 
up  our  anchor,  and  have  been  engaged  at  it  the  last  three  hours. 
The  water  being  forty  fathoms  deep,  and  our  cable  getting  foul 
of  the  rocks,  caused  a  deal  of  trouble.  So  we  leave  the  kind  and 
hospitable  Danes  of  Ivgitut.  May  they  always  be  happy,  for 
they  have  been  most  affable  and  genial,  and  the  interchange  of 
visits  with  them  has  enabled  us  to  pass  the  time  quite  agreeably. 

"  Here,  in  Greenland,  one  would  not  expect  to  see  the  canary, 
the  pigeon,  and  our  common  duck,  rabbits,  goats,  and  hogs  do- 
mesticated; yet  all  these  birds  and  mammals  not  only  exist,  but 
thrive  here,  in  lat.  61°  10'  N. 

"The  sea  and  fiords  in  this  vicinitv,  thousrh  full  of  floating  ice. 
never  freeze  over,  even  in  the  coldest  days  of  winter.  Indeed, 
it  is  seldom  below  zero  here. 

"  As  we  are  going  out,  the  little  steamer  Fox  is  towing  in  the 
bark  BrilUant.  She  is  after  a  load  of  krvolite.  And  so  farewell 
to  the  good  people  in  the  mountain  homes  of  Ivgitut. 

"  Oct.  6.  Yesterday  we  had  what  might  be  called  a  moderate 
gale ;  in  face,  we  met  it  on  the  evening  of  the  4th  on  coming  out 
of  harbor.  The  wind  was  north-west,  wnth  hail,  snow,  and  at 
times  rain.  This  morning  the  weather  is  somewhat  better.  The 
sea  has  gone  down,  and  we  have  had  a  change  of  wind  to  the 
.south-east.  Going  along  finely  now,  about  seven  knots  an  hour, 
riflfht  in  the  track  of  the  English  whalers  on  their  homeward- 
bound  passage. 


382  ARCTIC  EXl'KKIENCKS. 

*""\Ve  liavc  many  of  the  crew  down  sick,  on  account  of  tlicii' 
late  liarJ  work  and  exposure.  The  fact  of  the  matter  is,  the 
men  are  work<>.d  to  death. 

"  Ovt.  7.  Last  night  proved  one  of  the  most  disagreeable  of  the 
whole  vovasie  so  far.  Toward  evening  the  wind  increased  to  a 
gale,  accompanied  by  squalls  of  snow.  Shortened  sail,  and  hove 
the  vessel  to  on  the  starboard  tack.  TLr(>".gh  the  night  the  gale 
increased  to  a  hurricane;  the  sea  was  very  heavy,  breaking  over 
our  little  bark,  and  keeping  her  decks  continually  flooded  with 
water.  Xot  only  the  deck  but  the  ward  and  engine  rooms  were 
flooded.  The  fire-room  took  so  much  water,  that  there  was  dan- 
ger of  the  fires  being  put  out;  but,  fortunately,  nothing  more 
.serious  occurred  than  the  carrying  away  of  the  lower  bobstay  to 
the  bowsprit,  and  every  body  getting  tlioroughly  soaked.  About 
7  A.M.  the  gale  abated,  and  the  wind  hauled  to  the  westward  some 
four  points;  its  former  course  was  south-ea.st.  Wearing,  ship;  we 
arc  now  standing  ofl' shore,  as  we  are  not. more  than  fifteen  miles 
Irom  the  Greenland  coast.  The  weather  is  not  })leasant  yet;  a 
heavy  sea  is  running,  but  not  so  bad  as  last  night.  It  is  impos- 
sible as  yet,  however,  to  get  an\-  thing  to  eat.  Tables  think  noth- 
ing of  turning  over;  the  sea  gay ly  indulges  in  the  pastime  of  ex- 
tinguishing the  galley-fires,  keeping  the  cook  and  steward  in  a 
chronic  state  of  exasperation ;  and  such  was  the  power  of  the  seas 
which  broke  over  us  that  even  the  anvil  and  iron  covers  to  the 
eoal-bunkers — the  latter  weighing  about  seventy  pounds  and  the 
former  two  hundred — were  found  floating  around  the  deck,  di'iv- 
cn  hither  and  thither  by  the  force  of  the  descending  waves.  Lat, 
(J3°  15'  X.,  long.  52'  4l"'  W. 


LiiELESS  CKUI81XG.  3S3 


CriAPTER  XXXIII. 

Tlie  Gale  abates. — Consultation  as  to  {'oiirse.— Useless  Cruising. — Start  for  Ilome. 
— More  bad  Weather.  —  Lund-birds  blown  out  to  Sea. — Heniinisi'ences  of  tlie  lee-tioe 
Drift. — A  narrow  Kseajie. — A  black  Fog. — Interviewing  u  Hawk  at  ilie  .Mast- 
head.— Arrive  at  St.  .Johns. — Xews  of  the  J'ulnris  I'arty. — Heturn  to  IJrooklyn. — 
\Vhat  the  Tii/rfss  aeconiiilisl.ed. — Lessons  in  Arctic  Navigation. — Bravery  of  the 
t)tlicers. — A  stormy  but  agreeable  Cruise. 

"  Wkll,  the  gale  is  over.  Ail  \Yere  badly  frightened,  but. 
sailor- like,  tbey  will  soon  forget  it.  Ca{)tain  Greer  thinks  of 
starting  for  home  as  soon  as  the  wind  comes  from  a  favorable 
quarter;  he  consulted  me  about  it,  and  my  advice  was  to  j)roceed 
lionie.  Buddington  Mid  his  party  are  safe  enough  on  board  some 
whaler,  if  not  long  ago  in  a  British  port.  They  may  even  be 
home  bv  this  time.  At  St.  Johns  we  shall  be  sure  to  hear  of 
them. 

'■  Oct.  8.  The  weather  is  looking  bad  again :  another  south-east 
s^ale,  I  fear.  We  have  been  standins;  offshore  from  the  Green- 
land  coast  all  yesterday  and  all  night;  the  sea  from  the  westward 
beino;  so  heavv,  we  made  but  little  progress — about  four  knots  an 
iiour.  The  gale  of  the  6tli  and  7tli  was  south-east,  but  as  soon 
as  the  wind  abated,  a  long  heavy  swell  came  from  the  southward 
this  morning.  The  captain  ordered  the  vessel's  head  to  be  kept 
north-east  again,  lie  is  still  unsettled  in  his  purpose  what  to  do. 
Well,  I  care  but  little;  but  I  know  it  is  useless  cruising  here 
longer — only  a  wa.ste  of  time  and  money,  besides  destroying  the 
crew.  They  have  been  worked  hard :  many  are  now  sick.  The 
few  that  are  well  are  busy  to-day  securing  every  thing  for  the 
next  oale.  *  ' 

"  On  breaking  out  to-day  we  find  many  of  our  stores  damaged, 
from  the  water  finding  its  wav  down  the  hatches  in  the  late  trale. 
By  observation  at  noon,  lat.  63"  29'  N.,  long.  53°  o2'  W. 

"6  P.M.  Ilave  started  for  home;  the  long-looked-for  time  has 
arrived.  Captain  Greer,  after  some  little  conversation  with  me, 
has  finally  concluded  to  start  for  home,  stopping  at  St.  Johns, 
Newfoundland,  where  I  think  he  will  hear  of  the  Polaris  sur- 


384  AllCTir  EXPERIKNCES. 

vivors.  It  is  my  opinion  tbey  are  on,  or  near,  the  shores  of  bon- 
7iie  Scotland  ero  this. 

'■'■Oct.  9.  Blowing  strong  from  the  north-west.  Sailing  and 
steaming  eight  and  nine  knots  an  hour.  Last  night  spoke  the 
Seotch  brig  Clam,  from  Cumberland  Gulf,  homeward-bound. 

"Od.  10.  Cloudy,  gloomy-looking  day,  but  the  wind  is  light. 
and  the  sea  quite  smooth,  so  we  take  some  little  comfort;  but  it 
is  quite  cold.  Last  night  snow  and  hail  squalls.  Lat.  at  noon 
58°  48' — about  six  hundred  miles  from  St.  Johns. 

"Oct.  11.  It  is  blowins?  fresh  to-dav  from  the  eastward:  con- 
siderable  sea  running;  otherwise  it  is  quite  pleasant.  The  sun 
is  shining  brightly,  the  weather  quite  warm,  and  the  air  dry. 
Generally  the  south-east  winds  arc  cold,  wet,  and  very  disagree- 
able ;  this  is  an  exception,  so  flir.     Lat.  56°  39'  at  8  a.m. 

"Our  barometer  is  foiling  quite  fast;  and,  as  I  sit  writing  in 
the  wardroom,  I  hear  the  quartermaster,  who  lias  just  observed 
it,  say  to  the  officer  of  the  deck,  '  So  we  can  look  for  more  wind, 
and  perhaps  rain.'  "Well,  we  certainly  have  had  very  bad  weath- 
er, and  abundance  of  it,  this  cruise.  All  the  officers  appear  heart- 
ily tired  of  the  Arctic  regions ;  nor  is  it  strange:  this  coun*;ry  is 
not  very  inviting  to  spend  one's  time  in,  unless  there  is  a  deliiiite 
object  to  be  accomplished,  and  a  prospect  of  success. 

"Oct.  12.  The  morninsf  is  beautiful;  the  sun  rose  briirht  and 
clear,  and  with  that  peculiar  color  which  denoles  fair  weather, 
and  is  also  a  forerunner  of  a  southerly  wnnd. 

"The  Sunday-morning  muster  of  all  the  crew  in  clean  blue 
shirts  and  the  morning  service  is  over.  We  arc  now  (noon)  in 
lat.  55°  19'  N.,  and  about  ninety  miles  to  the  eastward  of  the 
Labrador  coast,  ^faiiy  little  land- birds  visit  us  daily.  Poor 
thinirs,  thev  get  blown  ^)li'  shore,  and  are  clad  enouch  to  find  a 
resting-place.  Some  alight  on  the  deck,  but  only  to  die;  for 
they  are  overexhausted  by  their  long  tlight  and  struggle  with 
the  winds.  ,.- 

"And  here  /am,  traveling  over  the  route — part  of  it — of  my 
long  and  terrible  drift,  but  under  what  diffi^rent  circumstances! 
Then  I  was  starving  with  hunger  and  perishing  with  cold;  now 
I  am  on  a  good  staunch  steamer  instead  of  a  bit  of  ice,  with 
plenty  to  eat  and  drink,  and,  when  tired,  a  decent  place  to  sleep. 
The  misery  of  that  fearful  drift  will  haunt  me  so  long  as  memory 
endures. 


A  BLACK  FOG.  3^5 

•'Oct.  IG.  Last  evening,  just  before  'eight  bells,'  or  eight  by 
the  clock,  a  heavy,  dense  black  fog  came  sweeping  down  from 
the  S.S.W.  Standing  on  the  quarter-deck,  1  could  scarcely  see 
the  head  of  the  steamer.  It  continued,  thick  as  ever,  until  the 
niidniiiht  watch. 

•'  Mr.  Cliiprnan,  my  assistant  ice-pilot,  had  a  very  narrow  es- 
cape from  colliding  with  a  large  berg.  He  just  saw  it  in  time  to 
clear  it.  These  floating  ice-hills  are  very  dangerous  to  naviga- 
tion. Many  a  good  ship  has  gone  down  and  never  been  heard 
from ;  but,  could  these  icebergs  speak,  they  might  'a  tale  unfold ' 
which  would  solve  the  mystery. 

"  The  night  and  the  day  have  been  very  unpleasant ;  it  has 
rained  violently,  and  we  have  been  going  very  slow — two  or  three 
knots,  and  some  of  the  time  not  more  than  one.  Even  a  slight 
head-sea  and  head-wind  entirely  destroys  the  steaming  qualities 
of  the  Tigress. 

"  Oct.  14.  The  fog,  after  enveloping  us  in  worse  than  the  black- 
ness of  night  for  upward  of  thirty-four  hours,  has  cleared  up  with 
a  westerly  breeze.  Several  large  bergs  are  in  sight.  The  sea  is 
still  long  and  heavy,  causing  our  little  vessel  to  roll  and  pitch 
very  badly.  We  have  sail  up  now,  and  are  making  good  way, 
God  speed  her  !     I  am  tired,  and  want  rest. 

•'6  P.M.  The  wind  is  increasinGr,  and  it  ascain  looks  like  rain. 
We  certainly  get  our  share  of  bad  weather.  Yesterday  a  little 
land-bird  came  on  board,  and,  as  he  has  been  treated  kindly,  con- 
tinues to  stay ;  he  is  now  so  tame  one  can  pick  him  up  with  the 
hand.  A  large  hawk,  wanting  a  rest,  lighted  on  our  rigging  this 
afternoon.  One  of  the  sailors,  thinking  to  capture  it,  went  aloft 
for  the  purpose.  On  getting  near  the  bird,  it  turned  and  looked 
at  the  man,  as  much  as  to  say,  '  Who  are  you,  and  what  do  you 
want?'  In  consequence  of  this  uncanny  and  unexpected  behav- 
ior of  his  hawkship,  the  sailor  hesitated  to  touch  him,  and  did 
not  venture  to  put  bis  hand  on  him,  although  his  messmates  from 
the  deck  kept  calling  out  to  'catch  him,  catch  him  !'  There  aloft 
they  eyed  each  other.  The  bird  looked  at  the  man,  and  the  man 
looked  at  the  bird,  and  for  some  time  neither  moved.  At  last 
the  hawk  concluded  he  had  enough  of  that  sort  of  visual  inter- 
viewing, and  desiring  no  better  acquaintance  with  the  strange 
sort  of  animal  that  continued  to  stare  at  him  in  a  superstitious, 
frightened  sort  of  way,  took  wing  and  made  his  escape.     Com- 

25 


386  AUCTIC  EXrilHIKNCKS. 

ing  down  empty-liandod,  iIr'  man  got  well  lauglicd  at  for  iiis 
failure. 

"Our  latiiud(»  at  noon  to-day  is  52°  49'  N. — a  little  ov'cr  three 
hundred  miles  from  St.  Johns,  and  twelve  miles  south  of  wheie  I 
was  picked  up  by  this  same  Tojrcss  on  the  last  day  of  April,  be- 
tween five  and  six  months  ago. 

'■'■Oct.ib.  We  have  it.  It  eommeneed  to  rain  this  morning; 
but  we  have  not  the  usual  aecompanying  gale  of  wind  which 
has  hitherto  added  discomfort  to  every  fall  of  rain  or  snow. 

"Or/.  16.  This  rnorninijf,  at  4  a.m.,  siohted  Buena  Vista  light, 
wind  blowing  fresh  from  the  north.  With  wind  and  steam-jiow- 
er  the  Tvirci<x  is  making  upward  of  eight  knots  an  hour.  At  six- 
sighted  Baeelhoe  light,  thirty -eight  miles  fi'om  St.  Johns.  So. 
.should  the  wind  not  fail,  we  shall  reach  there  this  afternoon 
about  three  or  four  o'clock.  I  have  been  quite  sanguine  all  the 
wav  on  our  homeward  vovage  that  on  our  arrival  at  St.  Johns  we 
should  hear  from  the  Polaris  crew  from  the  w\'vy  of  Scotland.  1 
have  been  in  talking  to  Ca{>tain  Greer  about  it,  and  have  express- 
ed very  plainly  my  opinion  that  we  shall  certainly  hear  from  the 
Polaris  party  at  St.  Johns.  lie  does  not  share  my  contidence  in 
the  safety  of  the /*o/((/7.*!  party  ;  but  he  soon  will. 

"3.15  I'.M.  Made  St.  Johns  llaibor.  The  first  words  which 
the  pilot  uttered  were,  '  The  Polaris  party  are  safe.'  A  look  of 
intense  relief  passed  over  Commander  Greer's  countenance,  and 
questions  and  replies  soon  made  ns  acquainted  with  the  general 
outline  of  the  story  of  the  relief  of  l^nddington  and  his  party. 
It  had  all  happened  just  as  I  expected,  with  the  difference  that 
they  had  got  to  Scotland  even  earlier  than  1  had  supposed.  Our 
cruise  is  now  ended,  and  '  homeward-bound '  is  the  word.  We 
shall  s*^op  only  long  enough  to  make  necessary  repairs,  and  then 
sail  for  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard. 

"  Sunda)/,  Xov.  9.  Arrived  at  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard  this 
morning;  and  thus  ends  our  cruise.  Successful  only  in  part,  be- 
cause success  was  rendered  impossible  by  the  lateness  of  the  sea- 
son when  the  Tigress  sailed,  Cajitain  Buddington's  party  having 
been  picked  up  by  the  Ravcnscraig  three  weeks  before  the  Tigress 
was  ready  for  sea.  But  the  voyage  was  not  eventless  or  useless  : 
the  discoveries  made  at  Littleton  Island,  Life-boat  Cove,  on  shore, 
at  the  winter-quarters  of  the  survivors  of  the  Polaris,  and  the  infor- 
mation gained  from  the  natives  as  to  the  premature  abandonment 


A  STOKMY  IJIJT  AGUKKAHI,!-:  ClU'ISE.  387 

of  tluit  vessel,  all  were  needful  to  elucidate  doubtful  points  in  the 
history  of  the  Pulnris  expedition;  as  also  in  determining  the  to- 
pography of  the  coast,  and  the  correctness  of  observations  made 
in  winter  antl  darkness  bv  the  liirht  and  eertaintv  of  the  summer's 
sun. 

"It  has  also  given  an  opportunity  to  many  worthy  ofiicers  of 
the  Unitetl  States  Navy  to  sec  something  of  Arctic  service,  to 
which  some  of  them  may  again  be  called ;  for  though  our  voy- 
age was  brief  as  to  the  time  occupied,  and  was  favored  as  to  the 
season  of  the  year,  yet  it  proved  exceptionally  stormy,  and  was 
well  calculated  to  test  the  courage  and  endurance  of  ofticers  as 
well  as  the  crew ;  and  it  is  one  of  the  pleasantest  duties  of  my 
life  to  here  record  the  perfect  harmony  and  good-fellowship  which 
prevailed,  the  courage,  manliness,  and  endurance  exhibited;  and 
it  is  a  satisfaction  to  feel  that,  though  Providence  had  forestall- 
ed the  chief  object  of  our  vovas^e,  there  was  not  an  officer  on 
board  who  was  not  ready  and  willing  to  winter  in  the  Arctic  re- 
gions had  there  been  the  shadow  of  a  reason  for  so  doins;.  Nor 
would  Captain  Greer  have  turned  his  vessel's  head  to  the  south- 
ward had  I  not  positively  assured  him  that,  from  my  experience 
in  those  regions,  the  search  beyond  a  certain  date  was  absolutely 
useless. 

"  I  shall  always  remember  with  pleasure  and  satisfaction  the 
brief  period  of  my  association  with  the  commander  and  ofiicers 
of  the  United  States  steamship  Tigress^  on  her  searching  cruise.'' 


*  Tlic  Tiyress  was  subseciueiitly  repurchased  for  the  sealing  business  by  Jfessrs. 
Harvey  &  Co.,  of  St.  Johns,  Xewfoinulland.  On  the  2d  of  April,  of  the  present  year 
0874),  as  the  steamer  was  working  through  the  ice  in  the  prosecution  of  her  usual 
occupation,  an  explosion  occurred,  which  instantly  killed  ten  of  her  crew — eleven 
others  being  so  badly  injured  that  they  died  the  next  day.  Captain  Bartlett  fortu- 
nately esc!i]ied  unhurt.     The  vcsel  was  badly  damaged. 


a«J5  AKtTlC  £X^EK1E^X•ES. 


CUAPTER  XXXIV. 

TirEORY  OF  NORTH  POLAR  CL'RRKXTS. 

The  llydrograiiliy  vi'  iSmith  Sound. — The  Currents  forlnd  the  Tlieory  of  uti  ••Open 
Poliir  Sea." — Movements  of  the  Ice. — A  northern  Areliipehiyo  a  reasoiiulile  Sup- 
position.— Velocity  of  ("lu'rent  aloiii^  the  east  and  west  ('onsets.  —  No  Current  in 
the  Middle. — K.xperience  of  the  Polaris. — Ahsence  of  large  Bergs  in  Smith  Sound. 
—Open  nearly  all  Winter.  —  Radiant  Heat  preserved  by  Cloud  Strata. — Detleetion 
of  the  Current  at  Cape  York. — Roheson  Channel  des'jrilied.  —  Lund  seen  from  the 
Mast-head  both  east  and  west  — Coast-line  beyond  Cape  Union. — Two  Headland> 
to  the  east-north-east  of  Mv\  ulse  Harbor. — Absence  of  Snow  on  Coast  of  Xortli 
Greeidand  above  Humboldt  (ilacier. — Elevated  I'lateaus  in  the  Interior. — The 
Land  around  Polaris  Hay. — Clam-shells  at  an  Elevation  of  two  thousand  Feet. — 
Variegated  but  odorless  Flora. — Animal  Life. — Insects. — Skeletons  of  Musk-cattle. 

In  describing  the  hydrography  of  Smith  Sound  I  free  myself 
entirely  of  the  geographer?!,  chart -makers,  and  romancers,  and 
relate  only  what  1  observed  with  my  own  eyes. 

Through  the  fall  and  winter  of  1871-72  I  noticed,  while  on 
the  ice  in  the  mouth  of  Newman  Bay,  when  on  my  boat-expedi- 
tion, that  the  current  through  Eobeson  Channel  was  about  one 
mile  an  hour;  thi.*;,  however,  was  very  much  accelerated  by  the 
freshets  of  the  spring  and  summer.  I  saw  ice  drifting  at  the  rate 
of  four  miles  an  hour,  driven  along  by  the  heavy  north-east  gales 
supplementing  the  natural  velocity  of  the  current. 

I  do  not  think  there  is  enough  current  in  Robeson  Channel  to 
warrant  the  theory  of  an  open  Polar  Sea.  Neither  such  a  sea. 
nor  a  portion  of  such  a  sea,  could  empty  itself  through  such  a 
narrow  channel  as  Robeson.  Any  large  sea  to  the  northward 
coursing  through  such  a  contracted  passage  would  cause  such  a 
powerful  current  as  to  make  it  unsafe  for  navigation  by  any  but 
the  most  powerful  steamers,  yet  the  Polaris  overcame  it  without 
difficulty. 

I  carefully  watched  the  movements  of  the  ice  during  the  win- 
ter, and  in  fact  all  the  time  from  my  first  entering  Smith  Sound, 
and  I  became  fully  convinced  that  there  was  no  Polar  Sea 
through  or  beyond  Robeson  Channel.  I  believe  the  space  north- 
ward of  that  to  be  occupied  by  an  archipelago,  for,  as  I  said  be- 


ABSKXCE  OF  F.AKCK  I(  KHKKGS.  3^t» 

lore,  tl.o  current,  uninfliicncecl  by  winds  or  fresliots,  is  but  about 
one  knot  an  hour;  and  at  that  rate  the  current  continues  througii 
Robeson  Channel,  Polaris  Bay,  and  Kennedy  Channel,  the  cur- 
rent setting  uniformly  from  the  north.  This  state  of  the  current 
I  observed  on  coming  southward  in  August,  1872.  But  on  en- 
tering  Smith  Sound,  I  found  little  or  no  current  in  the  middle  of 
the  sound  ;  but  on  the  mst  s/inri\  on  my  passage  up,  I  observed 
considerable  current,  which  convinced  me  that  constantly  setting 
from  the  north,  after  entering  Smith  Sound,  it  diverged  toward  the 
shores,  to  both  the  east  and  west  sides.  This  view  was  confirmed 
on  the  Polaris  getting  beset  in  the  ice  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape 
Frazier,  about  twentv-five  miles  to  the  east-north-east.  Our  drift 
averaged  from  the  first  from  one  to  four  miles  daily,  and  nearly 
due  south — a  very  little  easterly-. 

On  approaching  the  cast  coast  in  the  vicinity  of  Rensselaer 
Harbor — Kane's  winter-quarters — which  we  drifted  by  at  about 
five  miles  from  shore,  our  progress  was  more  rapid,  but  at  that 
time  the  wind  was  verv  stron"  from  the  north,  which  jrreatlv  ac- 
ceiorated  our  drift,  the  fall  gales  having  set  in.  But  even  then 
I  detected  a  stronger  current  near  the  shore  than  in  the  middle 
of  the  sound. 

Another  point  which  attracted  my  attention,  and  interested  me 
greatly,  was  the  total  absence  of  large  icebergs  in  Smith  Sound, 
and  from  thence  as  far  north  as  82°  16'  the  bergs  were  verv  few 
and  very  small,  while  in  Baffin  and  ^rdville  bays,  and  all  along 
the  shores  of  North  Greenland,  huge  bergs  abound,  especially  be- 
tween Disco  and  Kane's  winter-quarters.  But  north  of  that  the 
ice  formations  should  be  called  hummocks,  rather  than  bergs. 

Smith  Sound  is  open  nearly  all  winter,  seldom  closing  until 
Februarv  or  March.  T  know  it  to  be  so  by  the  heavv  north  and 
north-cast  gales  which  prevail  all  winter.  They  blow  with  in- 
describable fury;  and  I  have  seen  Robeson  Channel,  Polaris  Bay, 
and  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  north  and  south,  with  the  ice 
cleaned  out  from  shore  to  shore  during  the  months  of  November. 
December,  January,  and  February.  In  March  we  had  a  long 
spell  of  quiet  weather,  and  very  cold;  then  the  ice  formed  rapid- 
ly. In  the  absence  of  the  sun  the  weather  was  chiefly  cloudy. 
In  fact,  I  never  saw  so  much  cloudy  weather,  nor  so  many  gales 
of  wind  in  any  previous  winter. 

When  the  sun  was  absent  the  temperature  was  usually  more 


yyu  AH(  TIC  KXI'KKIKXCKS. 

moderate  than  wlicii  it  slioiic  brightly.  It  was  not  s^  low  bv 
many  degrees  as  I  have  found  it  twenty  degrees  south  of  Polaris 
Bay — the  thermometer  often  above  zero,  seldom  15°  below.  On 
the  return  of  the  sun,  in  Maich  and  April  it  was  very  cold,  the 
lowest  we  experienced  reaching  to  08^  below  zero,  with  very 
little  wind  during  those  months.  The  fact  ap[)ears  to  be  that  a 
dense  strata  of  cloud  over  the  land  intercepts  and  retains  the  ra- 
diant heat  of  the  earth;  which,  when  the  clouds  are  removed, 
readily  escapes  into  the  upper  atmosphere  and  is  lost,  the  direct 
rays  of  the  sun  not  compensating  in  warmth  for  this  cooling  of 
the  earth  by  radiation. 

After  my  separation  from  the  Pohris,  1  found  that,  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Cajie  York,  the  current  suddeidy  dellects  to  the  south- 
west, and  continues  south-west  down  liaflin  and  ^lelville  bays, 
Davis  Strait,  and  so  along  the  coast  of  Labrador.  1  have  other 
reasons  ft:»r  thinking  that  Kobeson  Channel  does  not  lead  to  a 
Polar  sea.  When  the  Polaris,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Hall,  penetrated  these  icy  solitudes  to  hit.  82"  16'  N. — but  four 
iiundred  and  sixty-four  miles  from  the  geographical  pole — I  was 
much  of  the  time  at  the  mast-head,  looking  out  for  whatever  was 
to  be  seen,  and  I  certainly  saw  plenty  of  water  to  the  north. 
Robeson  Channel  was  at  that  time  much  obstructed,  even  block- 
ed, with  ice,  but  beyond  it  there  was  free  water;  and  had  we 
got  througli  the  channel,  we  should  have  been  clear  of  ice  for  a 
long  distance.  But  I  am  sure  that  on  the  west  side,  above  what 
is  called  "Giinnell  Land,"'  far  north  of  Hayes's  Cape  Union,  there 
is  land;  for  I  could  trace  the  coast  leading  north  as  Axr  as  the 
eye,  with  the  assistance  of  a  spy-glass,  could  see. 

This  coast-line  north  of  Cape  Union  is  to  the  westward  of 
the  cape,  but  runs  N.  or  N.N.E. ;  and  I  think  that  between  the 
Cape  Union  of  Hayes's  and  the  land  seen  beyond  to  the  west- 
ward there  is  another  strait  or  sound.  On  the  east  side  there 
was  a  dark,  heavy  bank,  denoting  water  in  that  direction;  and 
[  am  inclined  to  thiidv  that  tlu;  land  trends  to  the  eastward  at 
about  82^  20'  or  25';  but  the  ajipearance  may  indicate  only  a 
deep  circuit  or  bay,  as  I  am  quite  sure  that  from  the  mast-head 
when  we  were  farthest  north  I  saw  two  headlands  to  the  north 
and  east.  However,  as  we  never  attainea  the  same  latitude 
again,  probably  those  who  saw  only  the  masses  of  wide-spread- 
ing water  before  them  will  still  cling  to  the  theory  of  an  open 


AHSKNt'E  OF  SNOW.  ijyi 

l*oliir  sen;  but  I  have  llic  evidence  of  my  eyes,  long  trained  to 
observation  in  the  Aretic  re<nons,  to  the  eontnirv. 

I  liiivc  seen  u  pubhe  statement  by  one  of  oiii-  number  (^[r. 
Chester),  that  op  Captain  llalTs  hist  sledge-expedition,  Mr.  C. 
being  one  of  liie  l>artv,  he  went  north  of  Newman  Ihiy,  up  to 
Hepulse  Harbor;  but  Ca{)tain  Hall,  on  his  return,  told  me  that 
they  went  no  farther  than  Cape  Brevoort,  in  hit.  82^  1'  N.,  long. 
01°  20'  W. ;  and  from  there  his  latest  dispatch — in  it  misprinted 
S2°  3' — was  dated.  .loe,  the  Esquimau,  also  accompanied  Cap- 
tain Hall,  and  when  he,  with  ^Ir.  Meyers  and  myself,  were  off 
hunting  and  taking  observations,  .Joa  pointed  out  the  place  where 
HalTs  party  had  stoppetl  the  fall  before.  Mr.  C.  must,  thereibre, 
be  mistaken  in  thinking  he  went  to  Kepulse  Harbor,  or  that 
the  land  terminated  just  above  there.  It  is  not  so.  The  land 
certaiidy  trends  to  the  eastward  a  little  north-east  of  Kepulse 
Harbor;  but  it  /■>■  again  to  be  seen  trending  nurth. 

The  absence  of  snow  along  the  entire  coast  of  North  Green- 
land is  worthv  of  remark;  while  as  far  north  as  Humboldt  Gla- 
cier  one  can  see  the  snow  and  crlacier  clad  mountains,  standin*; 
but  little  back  of  the  sea-coast,  some,  indeed,  approaching  close- 
ly to  the  coast;  but  they  are  chiefly  in  the  interior — the  icebergs 
Hnding  their  way  to  the  sea  by  the  many  glacier-fed  fiords  with 
which  the  coast  of  Greenland  abounds.  These  fiords  have  proba- 
bly been  formed  by  ancient,  and  some  by  extinct,  glaciers. 

On  getting  north  of  Humboldt  Glacier,  I  was  astonished  at 
the  entire  absence  of  snow  on  both  sides  of  the  strait.  The. land 
looked  dried  up;  even  the  rav"  as  I  found  on  landing  at  Po- 
laris Bay,  had  exhausted  themselves,  showing  plainly  that  the 
summer  had  been  very  warm.  The  coast  is  hiuh  and  rumored, 
com})oscd  principally  of  limestone  and  slate-rock;  toward  the  in- 
terior is  aji  elevated  plateau,  level  and  firm  under  foot,  so  that 
traveling  is  quite  eas\-.  But  these  elevated  plains,  or  plateaus, 
are  cut  through  in  many  places  by  ravines  or  water- courses. 
The  soil  is  a  light  clay,  which  absorbs  the  moisture  very  fast. 

The  whole  land  ai-ound  Polaris  Bay,  and  above  and  beyond, 
both  the  phxins  and  the  highest  mountains,  have  at  some  remote 
[>eriod  been  an  ocean-bed ;  for  the  entire  land  is  covered  with 
marine  fossils.  I  found  three  fossilized  sea-snails,  one  on  the  top 
of  a  mountain,  near  our  winter-quarters;  and  at  the  height  of 
two  thousand  feet  the  clam-shells  were  so  thickly  scattered  that 


392  ARCTIC  EXrKKIENC'KS. 

one  could  not  put  lii.s  foot  down  without  crushing  them.     Even 
some  of  the  j)onds  are  salt,  tliougli  fur  away  from  the  sea. 

The  flora  found  at  Thank  (rod  Harbor,  Newman  Bay,  and 
vicinity  I  can  not  chissify,  not  having  preserved  any  ;  but  tliere 
were  many  species,  highly  variegated,  and  of  most  beautiful  col- 
ors, but  odorless.  They  grow  in  small  patches  or  clumps,  and  in 
many  spots  these  groups  look  like  little  fairy  gardens,  and  are  in 
pleasing  contrast  to  the  generally  rugged  scenery  of  the  country. 
In  taking  up  a  moss-like  substance  from  a  fresh-water  pool,  and 
bringing  a  microscope  to  bear  on  it,  the  most  beautiful  vegetation 
was  desciied.  Not  only  were  the  forms  most  elegant  and  grace- 
ful, but  the  colors  were  as  brilliant  as  tropical  flower.s. 

In  the  farthest  north  to  which  the  Polaris  reached  birds  of  va- 
rious kinds  abound.  There  are  brent-geese,  eider-ducks,  ivory 
and  burgomaster  gulls,  ptarmigan,  plover,  mollemokes,  and  sev- 
eral others  which  I  had  not  an  opj)ortunity  to  examine.  In  early 
summer  these  birds  are  seen  flying  to  the  north-east.  So  I  am 
convinced  there  is  a  continuation  of  the  land  in  that  direction,  as 
they  go  there  to  breed;  and  in  the  fall  they  go  southward  again. 

Of  animals  I  saw  the  white  hare  and  the  little  lemmimr,  the 
heavy  musk-cattle,  and  the  Polar  bear,  with  his  usual  follower, 
the  white  fox.  Seals  were  found  as  far  north  as  we  went.  The 
fauna  of  the  Arctic  regions  plainly  shows  that  the  vicinity  of 
the  Pole  can  not  be  destitute  of  land,  nor  without  some  sort  of 
vegetation  which  will  sustain  animal  life. 

T^ie  insects  I  discovered  were  large  blue-flies,  and  a  smaller 
species  very  similar  to  our  common  house-fly.  There  were  also 
butterflies,  some  quite  brilliant,  and  of  course  caterpillars.  Bees, 
mosquitoes,  and  spiders  were  also  seen.  On  the  plain  abreast  of 
the  ship  there  were  many  skeletons  of  musk-oxen,  killed  by  the 
Esquimaux  who  formerly  inhabited  these  regions. 


SMITH  iSUlNl)  TIIK  TliUE  "GATE-WAY  TU  TIIK  I'OLE.'    39;-, 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

How  to  reach  the  North  Pole.  —Smith  Sound  the  tnio  Gntevway. — This  course  of- 
fers the  AltLMtiiitive  of  Land  Travel. — I'lenty  of  (Janie  in  Summer. — April  und 
May  t!ie  .Months  for  Sl('tlj;ii)g. — Proper  Model  of  Vessel's  Hull. — Twenty  -  live 
Men  enough. — A  Tender  nccessiiry. — A  De'jiot  at  I'ort  Foulke  with  a  detail  of 
Men. — Ire  at  Rensselaer  Harbor. — Avoid  Pack-iee  in  Smith  Sound. — (Jo  direci 
for  west  Coast. —  Form  Cu'ltcs  at  intervals  of  lifiy  Miles. — Deposit  Reserve  Uouts. 
— Style  of  Traveling-slciijfe. — Native  preferred. — Suleeling  Dogs. — Keeji  them  well 
fed. — Keep  Stores  on  Deck. — Winter  as  far  north  as  the  Ship  can  ge^ — How  to 
gt,t  out  of  a  Trap. — Provision  a  Floe,  and  trust  to  the  Cinrent. — Take  your  Poats 
along.  —  l{ei)Ienish  a',  Curhes. — Two  Months  from  a  liigii  Latitude  sufficient. — It 
will  yet  be  done. 

It  is  not  to  be  snppo.^ed  that  the  search  for  the  pole  terminate.^ 
with  the  loss  of  the  Polaris  and  the  death  of  her  commander ;  and 
as  I  have  given  considerable  thought  to  the  subject,  I  will  here 
make  some  suggestions  in  regard  to  the  furnishing  and  equip 
ment  of  any  future  expedition. 

There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  Smith  Sound  is  the  true 
•'gate-way  to  the  pole,"  if  foi  no  other  reason,  because  there  is 
land  to  operate  on.  To  the  Spitzbergen  route  is  the  fatal  objec- 
tion of  ice-beset  seas,  without  the  choice  of  land  to  resort  to  in 
case  of  need ;  but  the  Arctic  explorer  by  Smith  Sound  can  at 
least  avoid  the  experience  of  Parry,  in  his  journey  on  the  ice  in 
the  eastern  Arctic  seas  north  of  Spitzbergen,  in  which  he  was 
carried  south  by  the  ice  faster  than  he  traveled  north  with  his 
sledges. 

Another  advantage  of  the  Smith  Sound  route  is  the  abundance 
of  game  to  be  found  during  a  considerable  portion  of  the  year. 
A  party  traveling  on  the  land,  if  good  hunters,  could  shoot 
enough  to  keep  both  themselves  and  dogs  from  starving,  and  in 
summer  could  secure  enough  to  save  some  for  future  use ;  for  in 
many  localities  the  musk-cattle  are  quite  numerous,  with  hares 
and  ptarmigans  in  plent\-.  They  are  found  as  far  north  as  our 
winter-quarters,  and  probably  farther,  certaiidy  at  Newman  Bay. 
until  late  in  the  fall,  and  as  soon  as  the  sun  re -appears  in  the 
spring  they  are  discovered  again. 


•J94  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

On  the  land  north  of  Wiishington  Land,  ''  Hall  Land,"  both 
of  which  are  but  extensions  of  Greenland,  though  the  coast  is 
rugged  and  mountainous,  a  short  distance  inland  it  becomes  quite 
level — is,  in  fact,  so  far  as  I  traversed  it,  an  elevated  plateau,  over 
whieh  a  party  with  sledges,  starting  in  early  spring,  about  the 
Lst  of  April,  would  have  two  full  months  to  explore  before  the 
melting  snows  caused  them  any  serious  inconvenience.  There 
is  this  advantage,  also,  in  selecting  this  period  of  the  year — it  is 
continually  light;  no  darkness  to  contend  with,  which,  in  this 
region,  is  a  serious  obstacle  to  travel,  either  by  land  or  water. 

The  vessel — a  steamer,  of  course — which  is  expected  to  prose- 
cute with  any  hope  of  success  the  search  for  the  pole  must  be 
built  as  strong  as  wood  and  iron,  properly  combined,  can  make 
lier:  sharp  bows,  and  stem  sloping,  so  that  on  striking  ice  she 
will  run  out  on  it.  If  the  stem  is  straigiit  or  perpendicular,  the 
vessel  brings  up  with  u  heavy  thud,  which  is  very  damaging  to 
her.  The  hull  should  be  so  modeled  as  to  allow  the  vessel  to 
rise  or  lift  up  in  case  of  severe  pressure  by  ice;  neither  should  it 
fall  in  above  the  water-line,  or  be  wall-sided. 

Twenty-live  picked  men  would  be  enough  to  man  her,  and  she 
should  leave  New  York,  at  the  latest,  by  the  middle  of  June,  so 
as  to  give  time  to  stop  at  the  Greenland  ports  for  dogs,  and  such 
(jther  things  as  are  needed  and  can  not  be  obtained  here. 

Any  exploring  ves.sel  ought  to  be  accompanied  a  certain  dis- 
tance by  a  tender,  with  coal,  extra  provisions,  and  articles  for 
which  theie  may  not  be  room  in  the  steamer.  A  schooner  ca- 
pable of  carrying  about  three  hundred  tons  of  coal,  and  a  small 
frame  house,  packed  in  sections,  would  answer.  There  are  many 
articles  which  would  be  useful  which  such  a  tender  might  con- 
vey, but  which  would  needlessly  encumber  a  steamer.  This  ten- 
der should  go  as  far  as  Port  Foulke — Hayes's  winter-quarters — 
and  there  leave  her  coal,  house,  and  stores,  the  latitude  of  that 
harbor  being  78^  17'  41''  N.,  and  the  longitude  72°  30'  57"  W., 
and  twenty  miles  south  of  Rensselaer  Harbor,  Kane's  winter- 
quarters.  The  steamer  should  be  at  least  capable  of  steaming 
six  to  eight  knots  an  hour,  and  should  make  under  sail  the  same, 
and  be  bark-risffred.     That,  1  think,  is  the  best  rig  for  such  service. 

At  Port  Foulke  the  frame  house  should  be  erected,  and  the 
coal  landed,  with  provisions  enough  to  last  four  men  three  years, 
and  also  to  last  the  whole  party  goii;^^  north  m  the  steamer  six 


TACK-ICE  IX  SMITH  SOUND.  395 

months.  There  should  also  be  deposited  Ikm'c  tvo  bouts.  Four 
men  should  be  detaehed  from  the  company  to  remain  here  to 
take  charge  of  the  property,  to  take  observations,  and  to  assist 
any  returning  party.  These  should  be  reliable,  well-tried  men, 
or  they  would  weary  of  waiting,  and  be  tempted  to  leave.  Sup- 
posing this  depot  to  be  established,  and  the  four  men  to  be  taken 
from  the  steamer's  company  of  twenty -five,  would  fetill  leave 
twenty-one  to  man  the  steamei",  which,  with  core  and  good  dis- 
cipline, would  be  suOicient.  All  these  arrangements  should  be 
completed  so  th"t  the  steamer  could  leave  Port  Foulke  and  go 
on  her  north wai .  course  by  the  loth  of  August 

As  above  Port  Foulke  it  is  almost  impossible  to  penetrate  the 
ice  on  the  east  side,  we  must  now  head  to  the  westward,  to  Cape 
Isabella  or  to  Cape  Fraser.  The  ice  lies  inshore,  like  a  wall, 
around  the  vicinity  of  Kensselaer  Uarbor,  Kane's  winter-quarters, 
extending  from  the  harbor  across  toward  Cape  Isabella.  So  any 
vessel  ho})ing  to  make  any  progress  must  at  this  point  go  as  di- 
rect as  possible  across  to  the  west  coast,  along  the  shores  of  which 
they  will  find  water,  though  they  may  not  be  able  to  see  it  until 
they  get  nearly  over.  On  no  account  must  they  take  the  pack- 
ice  in  Smith  Sound  at  any  considerable  distance  from  the  shore : 
tor,  once  getiing  beset  among  the  large,  heavy  floes  which  are 
always  found  in  the  sound,  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  ex- 
tricate the  vessel  during  the  same  season,  and  the  consequence 
would  be  a  long  winter  drift  to  the  southward,  such  as  delavcd 
and  exasperated  Captain  j\['Clintock,  in  the  For,  in  1857-'58. 
Go  direct  for  the  west  coast  above  Port  Foulke,  and  if  you  can 
not  get  through  along  the  shore,  be  quite  sure  you  can  not  get 
through  at  all ;  for  the  f;ill  winds,  the  currents,  and  the  pack-ice 
settle  that.  But,  unless  the  season  is  ver}'  unfavorable,  you  can 
work  up  on  the  west  side.  In  going  north,  then,  through  this 
westerlv  channel — from  one  to  four  miles  wide — at  eveiv  fiftv 
miles'  advance  there  should  be  caches  formed,  in  which  should  be 
deposited  a  certain  amount  of  bread  and  pemmican.  Eitlier  bury 
it,  if  the  soil  permits,  or  put  it  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks,  crev- 
ices which  can  always  be  found  on  these  coasts,  so  deep  and  nar- 
row that  the  bears  can  not  get  at  it.  On  the  surfiice,  it  is  scarce- 
ly possible  to  })roteet  food  from  the  bears.  Of  course  some  rec- 
ognizable mark  should  indicate  the  spot. 

There  should  also  be  two  boats  left  at  some  more  northern 


396  AUCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

point  on  the  coast,  for  relief,  in  case  of  disaster  to  the  ship.  Boats 
and  provisions  de]H)sited  along  the  route  in  this  manner  would, 
in  case  of  necessity,  ..lake  a  retreat  comparatively  safe  and  easy; 
and  would,  in  an\'  event,  if  not  needed,  have  a  beneficial  moral 
effect  on  the  crew,  giving  them  courage  and  hope,  and  inspiriting 
them  to  do  their  utmost,  knowing  they  would  have  these  reserves 
to  foil  back  upon  in  case  of  being  compelled  to  abandon  the  ship 
at  a  high  northern  latitude.  Especially  would  this  keep  up  the 
spirits  of  the  men,  feeling  assured  that,  however  hard  their  jour- 
ney back,  they  would  find  also  succor,  stores,  and  shelter  at  Port 
Foulke.  Then,  with  good  skin  clothing  and  sleeping-bags,  which 
may  be  made  from  sheep-skins  in  the  States,  no  one  need  fear  to 
make  their  wav  north. 

For  traveling-sledges  I  prefer  those  made  in  the  simple  fashion 
of  the  natives;  they  are  not  so  liable  to  break  in  traveling  over 
the  rou2;h  ice  as  the  more  complicated  inventi  ""  of  civi'ization. 
In  regard  to  dogs,  two  rules  shv^uld  be  observed :  first,  to  get  tht 
best :  and,  secondly,  to  feed  them  ivell  on  good  wholesome  food  when 
you  have  them.  Better  have  ten  picked  dogs,  healthy  and  of 
the  best  breed,  than  forty  young,  weak,  sickly  mongrels,  who  con- 
sume food  and  take  up  room,  and  do  little  or  no  service.  It  is  a 
great  mistake,  too,  to  feed  these  creatures,  as  many  do,  on  putrid 
meat,  and  keep  them  half  starved  at  that.  They  are  like  human 
beings  to  this  extent,  that  ill  usage  incapacitates  them  for  work 
and  breeds  disease.  They  will  eat  almost  any  thing  but  iron  or 
rock,  if  they  are  hungry ;  but  their  owners  pny  the  penalty  in 
final  loss  and  disaster.  The  rabies  which  decimated  Kane's  dogs 
had  no  doubt  some  such  origin ;  they  had  suffered  from  scanty 
and  improper  food. 

Having,  like  a  good  general,  made  arrangements  for  an  orderly 
and  safe  retreat  if  Fate  compels,  it  is  next  in  order  to  get  your 
ship  as  far  north  as  possible,  and  not  be  afraid  of  wintering  at 
the  extremcst  latitude  which  can  be  attained  by  steam.  But 
during  the  whole  progress  of  the  vessel,  after  entering  the  regions 
of  ice,  provisions,  ammunition,  extra  clothing,  matches,  medicines, 
and,  indeed,  every  thing  absolutely  necessary  to  sustain  life  and 
health,  should  be  kept  on  deck,  with  the  boats  in  a  position  to 
be  lowered  at  a  moment's  notice:  for  in  navigatinsr  these  Arctic 
seas  a  vessel  is  liable  to  be  nipped  so  suddenly  that  there  is  no 
opportunity  to  save  any  thing  which  is  below.     Only  that  which 


TKUST  TO  THE  CURRENT.  397 

is  or.  leek,  and  in  condition  to  be  thrown  overboard,  can  be  re 
lied  jii.  Ilonco  every  tbing  which  may  be  supposed  to  be  need 
ed  in  such  an  emergency  should  be  carefully  boxed,  and  read} 
to  be  hove  overboard  at  a  moment's  notice. 

Now,  supposing  our  vessel  bound  for  the  North  Pole,  and  her 
commander  fortunately  hits  on  a  favorable  season,  and  is  thus 
enabled  to  penetrate  far  beyond  even  the  latitude  made  by  the 
Polaris,  he  will,  of  course,  in  the  lall  put  his  ship  into  winter- 
quarters,  without  thinking  of  turning  south  to  look  for  a  harbor. 
lie  may  thus  possibly  find  himself  in  a  trap,  and  must  pass  one 
or  two  seasons  watching  for  an  oj)portunity  to  get  out — availing 
himself,  of  course,  of  chances  to  make  land  or  ice  explorations  as 
the  season  permits.  On  the  worst  supposition,  if,  after  waiting 
as  long  as  his  commissariat  warrants,  and  he  feels  that  he  can  not 
risk  the  health  and  safety  of  those  who  depend  upon  his  judg- 
ment any  longer,  but  that  the  time  has  come  for  him  to  extricate 
them  from  a  perilous  position,  what  shall  he  do  if  his  vessel  is  still 
beset  and  can  not  be  saved  ? 

I  will  tell  you  what  I  would  do  under  such  circumstances.  I 
would  get  every  thing  together  that  was  necessar}-  for  a  long  so- 
journ upon  the  ice,  including  boats,  and,  picking  out  a  large, 
strong  floe,  I  would  not  hesitate  to  trust  myself  to  that  compara- 
tively frail  and  ofttimes  treacherous  support ;  for,  frail  as  it  might 
be,  as  long  as  there  was  room  to  stand  upon  it  I  know  that  it 
would  carry  me  southward,  for  all  the  currents  set  from  the  north. 
Then,  knowing  that  along  the  coast  I  have  provisions  cached  at 
intervals  of  about  fifty  miles,  and  at  Port  Foulke  comfortable 
quarters,  could  I  reach  there,  almost  any  decent  company  of  men 
might  make  the  journey  without  cause  for  despair. 

These  plans  might,  of  course,  all  fail  through  unforeseen  acci- 
dent ;  but  at  least  all  the  pre-arrangements  would  give  a  good  basis 
for  hope,  and  the  journey  I  believe  to  be  not  only  possible,  but 
that  in  all  probability  it  could  be  performed  in  safety.  And  I 
know  of  no  reason  why  a  ship  need  be  abandoned ;  but  I  have 
simply  planned  what  could  be  done  at  the  worst.  The  chances 
appear  to  me  reasonable  that  a  ship  might  go  far  higher  than  we 
did  with  safety  and  return,  and  that  by  ship  or  sledges  the  pole 
might  be  reached  with  proper  management  in  two  seasons  as 
well  as  in  two  centuries.  A  good  ship,  a  united  company,  and  a 
calm,  courageous  leader  will  yet  do  this  thing. 


398  ARCTIC  EXI'EKIENCES. 


CHAPTER  xxxvr. 

THE    FATE   OF   THE    POLARIS. 

Tlie  Polaris  Survivors. — Ship  driven  to  tlie  North-east. — Her  Position  on  the  Night 
of  Octoher  l."i. — Darkness  and  Confusion. — Anchors  and  Boats  j;one. — Tiie  Leak 
gains.— Steam  up. — Roll-call  on  Board. — Lookout  for  liie  Floe  J 'art  v.— -Storm 
abated. — Inspection  of  Stores. — The  Polaris  fast  to  grounded  llumniocks. — "  Let 
her  hill"' — Life-boat  Cove. — The  Polaris  left  a  Legacy  to  an  Esquimau  Chief. — 
She  foimders  in  his  Sight. 

The  south-west  gale  of  October  15,  wliich  culminated  in  the 
breaking  up  of  the  ice  which  surrounded  the  Polaris,  and  in  leav- 
ing the  party  under  Captain  Tyson  adrift  on  the  floe,  was  almost 
equally  disastrous  to  the  vessel.  All  of  a  sudden,  snap  went  the 
bow-hawser,  "like  a  pack-thread,"  slip  went  the  anchors,  and 
away  w^nt  the  Polaris  none  knew  whither:  for  the  darkness  and 
the  blinding,  drifting  snow  prevented  all  observation. 

The  floe  remained  grounded  during  the  ni"ht  between  the 

O  CD  <D 

heavy  bergs,  which  by  their  pressure  had  disrupted  the  ice  sur- 
rounding the  Polaris ;  but  the  vessel  was  driven  by  ihe  force  of 
the  wind  in  a  north-easterly  direction;  and  on  the  morning  of 
October  16  they  found  their  position  to  be  "a  little  north  of  Lit- 
tleton Island,  in  Smith  Sound — having  been  exactly  abreast  of 
Sutherland  Island  during  a  portion  of  the  night.'' 

It  will  be  remembered,  as  Captain  Tj-son  has  described  in  his 
journal,  that  all  had  been  excitement  and  confusion  on  board ;  the 
darkness  and  the  disappearance  of  the  floe  party  greatly  adding 
to  the  very  natural  anxiety  for  their  own  safety;  for,  in  follow- 
ing the  fortunes  of  the  vessel  (Oct.  15),  it  was  related  that  large 
quantities  of  provisions,  stores,  and  clothing  had  been  thrown 
overboard  ;  and  at  first  it  was  not  known  on  the  Polaris  if  suffi- 
cient of  these  things  had  been  retained  for  their  own  use;  for 
much  of  that  which  was  put  on  the  ice  was  known  to  liave  been 
lost.  Boxes  and  bags  had  gone  overboard,  without  discrimina- 
tion as  to  whom  they  belonged.  The  clothing  of  those  who  were 
on  board  was  much  of  it  thrown  out,  as  all  expected  that  they 
might  have  to  leave  the  ship  either  that  night  or  the  next  morn- 


"STEAM  UP."  31)0 

ing.  The  wind  was  blowing  with  a  velocity  of  forty  miles  an 
hour,  and  at  liulf-jiast  seven  the  pressure  of  the  heavy  floe  on  the 
starboard  side  of  the  sliip  had  keeled  her  over  to  port,  so  that  it 
was  no  longer  eas}-  to  keep  footing  on  the  deck.  The  boats,  too, 
had  been  lowered — the  only  two  remaining  whale-boats — and  the 
little  flat-bottomed  square-ended  scow.  Hence  two  fears  o{)press- 
cd  the  Polaris  comj)any:  one  that  the  water  would  reach  the 
fires;  and  the  other  that  the  party  on  the  floe,  with  all  the  boats, 
would  be  lost.  The  anchors,  too,  were  gone,  and  vessel  and  crew 
were  at  the  mercy  of  the  gale.  All  that  could  be  done  was  to 
try  and  reduce  the  water  in  the  hold.  The  bilge-jtump  was  kept 
at  work,  with  the  alley-way  pump,  but  the  water  still  gained,  and 
every  probability  was  against  saving  the  vessel  unless  the  steam- 
deck  pumps  could  be  started.  The  pipes  were  frozen,  and  the 
pumps  chocked  with  ice;  but  after  a  time,  the  fires  being  renew- 
ed, sufficient  hot  water  was  procured  fi'om  the  boiler  to  thaw  out 
the  deck-pumps.  Bucketful  after  bucketful  was  poured  down, 
and  finallv  thev  were  started. 

Every  one  felt  that  life  depended  on  those  pumps,  and  all  in 
turn  worked  with  an  eiiergy  commensurate  with  the  gravity  of 
the  occasion.  At  last  Mr.  Schuman  reported  "steam  up,"  and 
with  this  hopeful  assurance  all  watched  and  waited  through  the 
nidit,  thankful  that  thev  were  still  afloat.  As  the  dim  davliffht 
of  October  16  dawned  upon  the  Polaris,  the  reduced  company  of 
fourteen  souls  found  themselves  to  the  north  of  Littleton  Island, 
in  Smith  Sound,  having  drifted  through  the  night,  or  rather  been 
forced  by  the  violence  of  the  wind,  beyond  the  head  of  Baffin  Bay. 

Counting  heads,  it  was  found  that  there  remained  on  board 
the  following  officers  and  men  : 

S.  O.  Biuldington,  captain ;  IT.  C.  Chester,  chief  mate ;  William  ^lorton,  second 
mate;  Kmil  Schuman,  chief  engineer;  A.  A.  Oilell,  assistant  engineer;  W.  F.  Camp- 
hell,  fireman  ;  J.  W.  Booth,  fireman  ;  N.  J.  Coffin,  carpenter;  H.  Sieman,  H.  Hohbv. 
N.  Ilays,  Joseph  B.  Mauch,  seamen  ;  P'mil  Bessel.  chief  of  the  Scientific  Corps  ;  and 
li.  W.  1).  Bryan,  astronomer  and  chaplain. 

The  cook  and  steward  were  both  gone,  as  well  as  the  Esquimaux, 
the  assistant  navigator,  the  meteorologist,  and  six  seamen ;  also 
some  of  the  dogs. 

Mr.  Chester*  went  up  to  the  mast-head,  and  looked  around  in 

*  See  letter  of  Mr.  Bryan's  in  Appendix. 


400  AKCTIC  EXPEKIKNCES. 

all  directions,  but  reported  that  be  could  see  nothing  of  tbe  lost 
party  or  tbe  boats.  Tbe  general  opinion  was,  bowever,  that  they 
bad  ])robably  saved  the  boats,  as  it  was  known  that  they  bad 
been  dragged  back  to  what  seemed  a  safe  distance  from  the  ship. 
It  was  now  calm,  tbe  gale  having  abated. 

The  next  thing  was  to  see  how  much  provision  was  left  on 
board,  and  if  there  was  enougb  fuel  to  get  through  the  winter. 
Tbe  inspection  was  re-assuring,  as  of  food  plenty  remained ;  and 
as  it  bad  been  determined  by  Captain  Euddington  to  abandon  tbe 
vessel  and  make  w'inter- quarters  on  shore,  there  could  be  no 
scarcity  of  fuel  while  a  plank  or  a  timber  of  the  Polaris  remained 
aOoat.    There  was  also  a  lai'ue  quantitv  of  coal  still  in  the  bunkers. 

Toward  noon  a  breeze  sprung  up  from  tbe  north,  and  a  lead 
opened  inshore  to  the  eastward.  The  vessel,  which  was  no  longer 
under  perfect  control,  was  drifting,  with  the  set  of  the  current 
out  of  tbe  strait.  Fortunately  the  lead  toward  shore  opened  out 
wide  enougb  to  admit  the  vessel,  and  then,  putting  on  full  steam, 
and  also  setting  sail  to  assist  her  forward,  the  Polaris  was  run  as 
near  shore  as  tbe  ice  permitted ;  and  tbe  ground-tackle,  and  even 
tbe  ice -books,  being  lost,  she  was  made  fast  by  lines  to  some 
heavy  grounded  hummocks  in  nine  feet  of  water  at  bigb  tide,  but 
aground  at  low.  Al  six  p.m.  orders  were  given  to  stop  the  steam- 
pumps  and  let  her  fill. 

Life-boat  Cove — Kane's  Life-boat  Cove !  It  seemed  to  give  new 
spirits  to  tbe  party  that  Providence  bad  guided  them  to  the  shel- 
ter which  bad  protected,  under  equally  perilous,  though  different 
circumstances,  the  beloved  Arctic  explorer  whose  fame  is  dear  to 
every  American.  This  cove  is  in  lat.  78°  23'  30"  N.,  and  long. 
73°21'W. 

On  October  17  Captain  Buddington  surveyed  tbe  ship,  and 
found  that  her  stem  was  entirely  broken  off  below  tbe  six-foot 
mark,  with  other  serious  injuries — so  serious  that  be  considered 
it  was  only  w'onderful  that  she  had  kept  afloat  so  long ;  and  con- 
cluding that  she  could  not  be  repaired,  preparations  commenced 
for  permanently  abandoning  her.  There  was  no  difficulty  in 
doing  this,  as  the  Polaris  lay  so  near  shore. 

The  few  succeeding  days  were  passed  in  bringing  from  tbe 
Polaris  all  tbe  food,  fuel,  and  the  most  necessary  articles  with 
wbicb  to  build  a  iibelter  for  the  party,  and  to  sustain  them  through 
tbe  winter.     TLiS  done,  tbe  vessel  was  left  to  her  fate. 


LAST  OF  Tin:  rOLAUIS. 


401 


In  the  early  summer,  f(jr  fuvors  received,  Captain  Buddington 
conveyed  all  the  title  to  the  Pularia  he  was  able  to  give  on  a 
native  Es«|uimau  chief;  but  shortly  after  she  drifted  out  of  the 
cove,  and  foundered  in  the  sight  of  her  last  (2?<«'i<  owner,  as  de- 
scribed in  the  cruise  of  the  Ti'jress.  And  so  ends  the  story  of 
the  good  ship  Polan'-i,  on  which  so  many  uufultilled  liopes  had 
been  centred. 


A    SIMMKU    I:.N(:A.MI'.MENT. 


m 


402  AliCTlC  EXi'EIilENCES. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

THE   FORTUNES   OF   TliE   POLAltlS   SURVIVORS. 

Life  on  Shore. — A  House  built. — Visitors. — Womanly  Assistance. — Scientific  Ob- 
servations.—  Amusements. — Old  Alyoney. —  Hunting. —  Boat  built.  —  Starting  for 
Home. — A  Summer-tri]). — Sight  a  Vessel.  —  Rescue  by  Cajitain  Allen,  of  the  Ra- 
venscrnig. — Romance  of  the  Polaris  Expedition. — Safe  Arrival  of  all  the  Survivors 
at  New  York. — Consul  Molloy. 

As  soon  as  practicable  a  house  was  erected  on  the  shore,  com- 
posed principally  of  portions  of  the  Polaris,  the  spars  of  which 
had  all  been  hauled  ashore,  the  bulk-heads  of  the  state-rooms  re- 
moved, and  the  sails  of  the  good  ship  assisted  in  forming  a  roof 
for  the  new  residence.  The  house  was  quite  commodious,  being 
twenty-two  feet  in  length  by  fourteen  in  width,  and  was  perfect- 
ly water-tight.  It  was  very  comfortable,  but  there  was  no  at- 
tempt to  keep  up  any  class  distinctions.  It  was  simply  one  open 
space  inclosed  by  four  walls  and  a  roof,  without  any  subdivisions 
for  privacy  or  state.  Like  a  ship  in  Arctic  winter-quarters,  it 
was  banked  around  with  snow  to  keep  out  the  cutting  winds, 
and  was  soon  made  warm  and  cheerful  by  the  introduction  of 
a  stove  from  the  ship.  A  galley  was  established,  and  imple- 
ments for  cooking  secured.  Bunks,  or  sleeping-berths,  were  V^uilt 
around  the  sides  of  the  house,  fourteen  in  number,  to  accommo- 
date the  whole  company.  A  table,  lamps,  and  whatever  else  the 
Polaris  afforded  which  could  increase  'lie  comfort  of  the  party 
were  brought  ashore  and  placed  in  position  ;  and  all  being  thus 
happily  arranged,  there  was  nothing  more  that  could  be  done 
until  spring  came ;  for  that  they  must  wait  before  they  could 
hope  to  leave  their  present  quarters. 

The  party  were  not  long  without  visitors.  Five  or  six  days 
after  the  Polaris  was  abandoned,  a  party  of  native  Esquimaux,  in 
five  sledges,  came  to  the  encampment,  and  greatly  assisted  the 
crew  in  getting  things  out  of  the  vessel,  in  cutting  fresh-water 
ice,  and  hauling  it  to  the  house  on  their  sledges,  and  in  various 
other  ways  showing  their  friendliness  to  the  part3% 


AMUSKMEXTS.  408 

Of  course  their  assistance  was  rewarded  with  presents  of 
knives,  needles,  pieces  of  wood  and  iron,  and  such  little  things 
as  they  most  valued  ;  and  after  a  short  time  they  returned  to  the 
settlement  of  Etah,  from  whence  they  came.  But  ere  long  oth- 
ers appeared  upon  the  scene,  and  finally  two  or  three  families 
built  their  huts  in  the  vicinity,  and  prepared  to  spend  the  winter 
as  friends  and  neighbors  of  the  whites.  The  women  of  these 
families  soon  made  themselves  very  useful  by  making  and  re- 
pairing clothing,  and  performing  other  feminine  courtesies  for 
the  men ;  and  as  the  season  advanced,  and  game  became  more 
plenty,  the  native  hunters  brought  to  the  house  fresh  meat,  which 
is  always  so  greatly  prized  during  an  Arctic  sojourn.  The  wal- 
rus hunters,  in  particular,  having  good  success,  often  brought 
to  the  house  a  feast  of  Walrus  liver,  and  by  their  good-natured 
friendliness  greatly  aided  the  party,  not  only  to  maintain  a  con- 
dition of  physical  health,  but  encouraged  them  through  the  Arc- 
tic night  by  the  feeling  that,  though  cut  oft"  from  the  civilized 
world,  they  were  surrounded  by  friends,  and  not  enemies.  Among 
the  p]squimaux  visitors  was  old  Myoney,  who  hud  also  visited 
Dr.  Kane  on  board  the  Aili:ance.     But  he  died  during  the  winter. 

Once  established,  and  the  routine  of  their  winter  life  com- 
menced. Dr.  Bessel  and  Mr.  Bryan  resumed  their  scientific  ob- 
servations with  such  limited  appliances  as  remained  to  them: 
while  the  rest  of  the  party  amused  themselves  as  best  they  might 
in  reading,  writing,  making  up  journals,  and  playing  at  chess, 
draughts,  and  cards.  Then  there  was  house-work  to  be  done,  ice- 
blocks  to  be  cut  for  water,  fires  to  be  made,  lamps  to  be  trim- 
med, food  to  be  cooked ;  and  when,  in  February,  the  coal  gave 
out,  wood  for  firing  was  to  be  cut  from  the  Polaris,  and  brought 
on  shore.  And  then,  as  spring  approached  and  light  replaced 
the  prevailing  darkness,  favorable  days  would  come,  when  some 
of  the  party  would  tramp  off  in  search  of  game,  or  set  traps  for 
foxes  or  nets  for  seal.  But,  happily,  there  was  no  lack  of  food, 
and  no  suffering  from  cold.  They  were  well  clothed,  well  fed, 
and  well  sheltered ;  and  though  ice-bound,  there  was  really  noth- 
ing serious  in  their  position — a  striking  contrast  to  the  fate  of 
their  late  companions  adrift  on  the  ice-floe. 

But  one  thing  they  lacked — namely,  boats.  But  they  had  sea- 
men to  direct,  a  carpenter  to  execute,  and  plenty  of  materials 
wherewith  to  build  and  rig  one  or  more.     As  the  season  ad- 


4(>jL  AKCTK'  EXrKKIKNCKS. 

vanced,  and  the  topic  of  returning  home  began  to  be  (liscussoil  as 
an  event  to  prepare  lor,  it  was  decided  that  at  least  two  boats 
must  be  built  to  convey  the  party  and  necessary  stores  for  con- 
sumj)tion  on  the  way.    - 

The  sun  had  re -appeared  on  February  15,  and  from  that 
time  forward  the  prospects  and  prej)arati<jns  for  traveling  were 
an  almost  daily  topic  of  conversation.  As  the  light  increased 
bunting-parties  went  out,  and  a  large  number  of  foxes  and  some 
hares  were  killed,  but  not  much  other  game  was  secured.  There 
were  a  great  many  deer  seen,  but  all,  with  one  exception,  escaped 
the  aim  of  the  huntsmen. 

x\s  April  came  in,  Mr.  Chester,  with  the  aid  of  the  carpenter 
and  others,  commenced  to  build  two  boats.  Each  was  twenty- 
feet  five  in  length,  square  fore  and  aft,  and  five  feet  beam,  capable 
of  carrying  seven  men  with  provisions  for  about  two  months,  in 
which  time  it  was  calculated  the  i>arty  could  rcaeli  a  latitude 
where  assistance  might  reasonably  be  expected.  The  material 
used  was,  of  course,  taken  from  the  Po/aris.  and  chielly  from  the 
ceiling  of  the  alley -w^ays  and  after -cabin,  as  most  of  the  light 
material  had  been  already  consumed  for  fuel.  Notwithstanding 
the  disadvantage  under  which  the  building  progressed,  two  very 
serviceable  boats  were  produced,  and  also  a  third,  a  smaller  one, 
which  was  presented  to  the  natives,  who  had  been  most  friendly 
in  bringing  fresh  meat  to  the  party. 

It  was  the  end  of  May  before  the  condition  of  the  ice  was  such 
as  to  promise  success  to  boat  travel.  Previous  to  the  final  ar- 
rangements for  leaving.  Ca{)tain  Buddiugton  says,  "A  deposit  of 
certain  valuables  in  boxes  was  made  on  the  north  shore  of  Life- 
boat Cove,  and  these  were  protected  with  rocks,"  and  there  nec- 
essarily left  to  the  mercy  of  the  natives  and  the  elements. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  a  little  after  1  a.m.,  the  boats  were  laden 
with  food,  and  other  necessary  articles  for  the  journey ;  the  party 
equally  divided  into  seven  for  each  boat,  and  launching  out  into 
the  opened  waters  of  Smith  Sound,  the  survivors  of  the  still  float- 
ing Polaris  bade  fiirewell  to  their  winter  liome,  and  turned  their 
faces  southward,  with  high  hopes  and  confident  expectation  of  a 
timely  rescue. 

With  the  exception  of  slight  indications  of  scurvy  in  a  few  of 
the  men,  all  had  retained  their  health  through  the  Arctic  winter 
and  the  early  spring.     It  was  now  summer,  and  continuous  day. 


SKIIIT  A  VKSSEL.  40". 

Neither  cold  nor  darkiirss  Ijeiiiunbc'il  the  frame  or  obsoiiro'l  the 
vision.  The  ;i4iiiitic  birds,  sea's,  and  otlier  game  conld  now  be 
hud  in  abundanee  wherever  they  put  ashore;  the  e.izgs  of  the 
cider  and  other  ducks  gave  a  pleasant  variation  to  their  diet: 
and.  but  for  the  occasional  interruption  of  their  course  by  the 
pack-ice.  nothing  occurred  to  discourage  or  dishearten  them. 

On  the  way  they  touched  at  the  deserted  native  settlement  of 
Etaii-y-tancy,  and  at  llakluyt  Island,  and  subsequently  landed 
on  the  west  shore  of  Northumberland  Island.  There  the  pack- 
ice  prevented  their  leaving  until  the  10th  inst.,  and  then  enter- 
ing a  lead  toward  Cape  Parry,  they  were  subsequently  drifted 
back  by  the  pack-ice  to  the  place  from  whence  tliey  had  started. 
On  the  12th  a  better  prospect  offered,  and  they  .started  again,  and, 
crossing  the  southern  part  of  Murchison  Sound,  rounded  Cape 
Parry,  and  pulled  up  on  Blackwood  Point,  near  Fitz-Clarence 
Rock.  Proceeding  again  the  next  day,  they  reached  and  landed 
on  Dalrymple  Island  ;  from  thence  reached  Wolstenholme  Isl- 
and, Conical  Rock,  and  (^ipe  York. 

Thus  far  the  course  had  been  comparatively  easy;  but  they 
must  now  face  the  ice  of  the  glacier-fed  ^Iclviile  Bay ;  and  here 
considerable  more  exertion  was  required,  the  leads  sometimes 
closing  so  that  they  had  to  haul  their  boats  on  the  ice  laid  over 
it  to  get  another  lead,  and  so  on.  But  their  troubles  were  not  to 
be  of  long  duration.  On  the  twentieth  day  after  leaving  Life- 
boat Cove,  and  soon  after  enterimj  on  the  ice-beset  waters  of 
Melville  Bay,  their  eyes  were  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  a  steamer 
in  the  distance.  They  were  at  the  time  twenty-five  miles  south- 
east of  Cape  York. 

True,  they  perceiv'cd  that  the  vessel  was  beset  and  could  not 
come  to  them,  and  she  was  some  ten  miles  awav.  But  being  be- 
set,  she  was  sure  to  remain  until  they  could  get  to  her,  and  the 
relief  appeared  all  the  more  timely,  since  one  of  the  boats  liad 
been  injured  in  its  contact  with  the  ice,  and  only  about  one 
week's  provisions  remained.  The  party  had  apparently  over- 
eaten their  rations,  or  had  not  rightly  estimated  them. 

Two  men  were  sent  forward  toward  the  steamer,  but  had  trav- 
ersed only  a  portion  of  the  distance  when  they  were  met  by  a 
body  of  eighteen  men  from  the  ship,  which  proved  to  be  the 
Ravenscraiff,  of  Dundee,  Captain  Allen  ;  lying  in  lat  75°  38'  N., 
long.  65°  35'  W.,  Cape  York  being  to  the  north-west,  at  about 
twenty-five  miles  distance. 


406  ARCTIC  EXrKUlENCES. 

The  party  on  the  ice  had  been  sighted  by  the  lookout  on  the 
vessel  at  about  1  a.m.  (it  being  ligiit  all  the  time  then);  they 
were  at  that  time  about  fourteen  miles  olV,  and  were  supposed  to 
be  Esquimaux.  By  nine  o'el(.»ck  it  was  observed  that  the  party 
were  moving  toward  the  vessel,  but  very  slowly,  tiot  having 
made  more  tlian  two  miles  since  lirst  seen;  and  it  was  now  dis- 
covered that  they  were  not  natives,  but  white  men.  Tliis  natu- 
rally increased  the  interest  on  board.  It  was  perceived  that  they 
had  two  boats,  and  their  colons  on  a  pole.  Volunteers  were  now 
ready  to  go  to  their  relief,  and  eighteen  picked  men  v/erc  chosen 
for  the  purpose,  Captain  Allen  also  hoisting  his  ensign  as  an  en- 
couragement to  the  wanderers. 

Captain  Buddington  and  his  party  were  intensely  gratified  to 
see  that  they  had  been  noticed,  and  all  watched  with  the  greatest 
anxiety  the  progress  of  the  two  men  who  had  gone  forward 
toward  the  vessel.  But  when  the  rescuers  were  seen  returning 
with  them  every  heart  was  relieved,  and  weariness  gave  place 
to  Ihe  joy  of  anticipated  security. 

The  boats  had  been  considerably  injured  by  contact  with  the 
rough,  hummocky  ice,  and  cue  of  them  was  slightly  stove,  but 
had  been  repaired.  The  fatigue  of  dragging  boats  over  such  ice 
may  be  partly  imagined  when  we  find  that  it  took  the  combined 
party  of  thirty-two  from  6  P.M.  until  midnight  to  get  to  the  ves- 
sel— a  rate  of  two  miles  an  hour.  The  difficulty  had  been  great- 
ly increased  by  a  deep,  slushy  snow,  which  was  spread  over  thu 
entire  surface,  and  which  was  not  only  heavy  and  disagreeable 
to  wade  through,  but  was  not  without  its  real  dangers,  as  more 
than  one  found  by  suddenly  sinking  into  some  treacherous  hole 
which  was  concealed  by  it.  One  of  the  men  had  great  difficulty 
in  extricating  himself  from  one  of  these  hidden  pitfalls;  indeed, 
without  assistance  the  accident  might  have  proved  fatal. 

Captain  Allen  received  the  weary  men  with  open-hearted  hos- 
pitality, such  as  a  Scotch  whaler  knows  how  to  render  to  any 
shipmate  hoisting  a  flag  of  distress.  Through  him  the  party 
learned,  with  unmingled  astonishment,  of  the  safety  of  the  ice- 
floe party  —  most,  if  not  all,  of  whom  they  had  supposed  num- 
bered with  the  dead. 

The  Polaris  expedition  had  indeed  proved  exceptionally  pro- 
lific of  startling  and  exciting  incidents.  From  the  time  when 
Captain  Bartlett  picked  up  the  exhausted  waifs  of  the  ice-floe, 


KOMANCE  (JF  TllK  POLAULS  EXI'EDITION.  407 

until  the  last  scene  in  this  thrilling  drama  was  enacted,  public 
expectancy  had  been  kej)t  continually  on  the  '/«/  rive  by  the 
progress  of  events  connected  with  the  story  of  these  Arctic  ex- 
I)lorers:  the  sailing  and  return  of  the  Fru/ic  with  the  nineteen 
waifs;  the  developments  of  the  examination  at  "Washington: 
the  lamentable  and  melancholy  death  of  Captain  Hall;  the  dis- 
patch of  the  Jvniala;  the  purchase  and  fitting  out  of  the  Tiijress: 
the  finding  of  Buddington's  camp;  the  story  of  the  foundered 
Polaris,  r-nd  the  mutilated  log-book;  and  the  rescue  of  Budding- 
ton  and  Lis  men  by  a  Scottish  whaler,  were  events  which  suc- 
ceeded each  other  with  such  rapidity  that  it  almost  seemed  as 
if  an  accomplished  stage-manager  was  working  the  machinery 
toward  some  rapid  and  astonishing  transformation  scene,  and. 
possibh',  unexpected  denouement. 

After  what  had  happened,  the  country  would  scarcely  have 
been  surprised  had  the  buried  commander  arisen  from  his  frozen 
grave  and  haunted  some  of  the  fugitives  on  their  flight  through 
the  Arctic  zone,  across  the  Atlantic  waves,  to  finally  confront 
them  in  the  very  place  and  in  the  very  presence  where  his  great 
hopes  had  been  so  nobly  helped  and  cherished. 

On  September  19,  1873,  the  New  York  papers  published  a 
telegram  from  London,  stating  that  the  day  before  ''the  Dundee 
whaling-steamer  Arctic  had  arrived  at  Dundee,  having  on  board 
Captain  Buddington  and  the  remainder  of  the  Pularis  crew.'' 
Later  information  disclosed  the  fact  that  it  was  not  the  Arctic 
which  had  picked  them  up,  but  the  whaling-ship  Ravenscraig,  of 
the  same  port,  on  the  23d  of  July ;  and  that  she  had  transferred 
eleven  of  the  party  to  the  Arctic,  and  three  of  the  Polaris  surviv- 
ors to  the  whaler  Intrepid.  The  names  of  those  who  had  already- 
arrived  in  the  Arctic  are  as  follows: 

Sidney  O.  Buddington,  sailing  and  ice  master ;  Hubbard  C.  Ciiester,  chief  mate ; 
William  Morton,  second  mate  ;  Emil  Schuman.  chief  engineer ;  A.  A.  Odell,  assist- 
ant engineer;  l/i'.  Emil  Bessel.  chief  of  tiie  Scientific  Corps;  Nathan  J.  Coffin,  car- 
penter ;  Herman  Sieman,  Henry  Hobby,  Noah  Hays,  seamen ;  \V.  F.  Campbell, 
fireman. 

These  were  all  reported  well,  and  that  the  parties  who  were 

on  the  Intrepid  were 

Mr.  R.  W.  D.  Bryan,  astronomer  and  chaplain ;  Joseph  B.  Mauch,  seaman ;  John 
W.  Booth,  fireman. 

This  information  was  received  at  Washington  through  the 


408  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

United  States  Consul  at  St,  Johns,  Newfoundland,  Mr.  Molloy, 
to  whom  the  first  communication  from  Dundee  was  made — Dr. 
Bessel,  mindful  of  his  European  friends,  announcing  his  safety 
by  telegram  to  Dr.  Peterman,  of  Gotlia,  Germany.  United  States 
Consul  Molloy,  as  soon  as  he  received  the  information,  without 
waiting  to  telegraph  to  Washington  for  orders,  took  the  respon- 
sibility of  hiring  a  swift  steamer,  the  Cahot — and  went  in  pursuit 
of  the  Juniata^  which  had  sailed  from  St.  Johns  but  a  few  hours 
before  the  telegram  from  Dundee  arrived,  intending  to  still  pros- 
ecute the  search. 

Mr.  ]Molloy  knew  that  it  was  the  intention  of  Commander 
Braine  to  proceed,  in  the  tirst  instance,  toward  Cumberland  Sound, 
and  from  thence  to  take  a  northerly  direction ;  he  had,  therefore, 
no  difficulty  in  following  his  track.  lie  had  wisely  provided 
himself  with  rockets  and  signal-lights  to  use,  if  necessary.  At 
11  P.M.  of  the  same  day  the  Caljot  overtook  the  Juniata,  attract- 
ing the  attention  of  those  on  board  by  throwing  up  rockets  and 
displaying  all  the  light  possible. 

Commander  Braine  naturally  thought  that  the  vessel  was  the 
Tigress,  which  was  thus  endeavoring  to  communicate  with  liim, 
and  concluded  that  the  latter  vessel  had  picked  up  the  party, 
or  at  least  had  information  of  them.  The  night  was  dark  and 
cloudy ;  but  as  soon  as  the  signals  were  observed  the  boat  of  the 
Jauiaia  was  lowered,  and,  in  cliarge  of  Lieutenant  De  Lontr,  she 

7  7  o  ~7 

came,  like  a  streak  of  light  marking  the  waves,  toward  the  CahoU 
which  had  been  only  seven  hours  in  the  pursuit. 

As  soon  as  the  information  was  conveved  to  Commander 
Braine  that  the  Polaris  survivors  were  all  safe,  he  ordered  the 
head  of  the  Juniata,  to  be  turned  toward  St.  Johns,  and  both  ves- 
sels were  soon  again  in  the  port  they  had  so  recently  left. 

Mr.  William  Reed,  Vice.  United  States  Consul  at  Dundee,  call- 
ing the  attention  of  the  State  Department,  by  telegram,  to  the  fact 
that  the  Polaris  survivors  were  entirely  destitute  of  means,  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  promptl}'-  responded  by  requesting  that 
they  be  supplied  by  the  consulate,  and  sent  home  as  passengers 
by  the  first  steamer.  On  Tuesday,  September  23.  Captain  Bud- 
dington  and  his  ten  companions  sailed  from  London  for  New  York 
in  the  steamer  City  of  Antwerp,  and  arrived  safely  at  New  York 
October  4,  1873. 

It  was  some  weeks  later  before  Mr.  Brvan  and  two  others,  who 


NAVAL  BOARD  OF  INQUIRY. 


409 


had  been  transfei'red  to  the  Intrepid,  and  from  that  to  the  Erich, 
reached  their  homes,  Mr.  Bryan  having  asked  and  received  a 
rortni2;Lt's  furlough. 

As  in  the  case  of  the  ice-floe  waifs,  a  naval  Board  of  Inquiry 
was  convened  in  Washington,  to  which  all  the  survivors  v;ere 
summoned,  the  results  of  which  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix. 

This  examination  failed  to  elicit  any  additional  focts  of  inter- 
est beyond  the  information  summarized  in  the  preceding  pages. 
The  testimony  was  so  conflicting  on  certain  points,  that  it  was 
obvious  there  was  flilsehood  somewhere;  and  as  no  good  could 
result  from  its  ptiblication,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navj'  has  very 
prudently  limited  its  circulation  to  a  few  official  copies. 


TUG  LAIGtjT  milLB. 


410  AKOTIC  EXrEKIENCES. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

SCIENTIFIC   NOTES. 

The  Pacific  Tidal  Wave. — Meteorological  and  Magnetic  Records. — Glaciers'  Fauna. 

— Entomology.  — Flora. 

The  scientific  observations  made  at  winter -quarters  during 
1871-72  included  records  of  the  barometer,  the  force  and  veloci- 
ty of  the  wind,  the  temperature  of  the  air,  and  also  the  tension 
of  the  aqueous  vapor  in  the  atmosphere  (by  the  aid  of  Professor 
August's  psych rometer),  and  attention  was  paid  to  frequent  meas- 
urements of  atmospheric  precipitation  and  tidal  registration. 
ThrouLdi  the  latter,  I)r.  Bessel  states,  it  was  discovered  that  the 
Pacific  tidal  wave  reaches  Kobeson  Channel,  and  extends  south 
us  far  as  Cape  Ilatherton,  the  proof  being  that  the  tides  rose  ear- 
lier at  Newman  Bay  than  south  of  it,  a  convincing  proof  of  the 
free  circulation  of  the  Polar  waters  from  west  to  east  above  the 
latitude  of  82°  N.,  if  true.  CajHain  Tyson  docs  not  coincide  in 
this  view,  nor  as  to  the  reported  fact  of  the  earlier  rise  of  the 
tides  at  Newman  Bay. 

The  astronomical  observations  made  by  Mi-.  Bryan  were  very 
numerous,  and  were  first  directed  to  obtaining  absolute  certainty 
as  to  the  meridian  of  Thank  God  Harbor.  On  this  meridian  all 
subsequent  surveys  were  based,  except  such  as  were  obtained  by 
triangulation;  and  these  were  also  repeated  with  the  utmost  care- 
fulness and  exactitude.  In  connection  with  the  astronomical  ob- 
servations, the  pendulum  observations  were  constantly  recorded; 
and  during  the  months  of  February,  March,  April,  and  May  hour- 
ly observation?  were  made  on  the  declination  of  the  needle  and 
its  variation,  with  other  magnetic  phenomena,  such  as  the  dip,  the 
horizontal  intensitv,  and  the  moment  of  inertia. 

Every  favorable  opportunity  was  improved  to  examine  into 
the  movements  of  glaciers;  and  as  Greenland,  and  the  whole 
coast  north  and  east  of  it,  abounds  in  these  rivers  of  ice,  many 
interesting  observations  were  made,  especially  on  the  limits  of 
neve. 

The  fauna  observed  has  been  incidentally  mentioned  in  Cap- 


BOTANIC^VL  SPECIMKNS.  411 

tain  Tj'son's  Journal  and  elsewhere;  and  the  principal  novelties 
of  animal  life,  it  will  be  seen,  consisted  in  the  rediscovery  of  the 
musk-cattle,  which  were  supposed  to  be  extinct  in  that  country; 
the  other  mammals  and  birds  but  little  known  were  the  lem- 
mings, a  small  rodent,  and  the  Arctic  raven  and  falcon ;  Sabine's 
>'ull,  and  Tueston's  sanderlinws. 

Fish  is  comparatively  scarce;  but  one  specimen  was  secured  of 
the  salmon  species.  Marine  invertebrates  of  new  and  interesting 
forms  were  also  obtained. 

In  entomology  Dr.  Bessel  added  largely  to  his  collections;  and 
among  others  v/hich  have  been  incidentally  mentioned  in  the 
preceding  pages  were  several  varieties  of  iciineumon. 

Of  botanical  specimens  a  full  and  curious  collection  was  made; 
fourteen  varieties  of  pJiancronainic  plants  (those  having  visible 
flowers,  stamens,  and  pistils)  were  classified,  and  many  species  of 
mosses,  lichens,  and  fungi  —  the  eflbrt  being,  of  course,  to  secure 
specimens  of  those  not  before  obtained,  or  of  which  but  few  .spec- 
imens have  been  previously  secured.  Some  of  the  fungi  under 
the  microscope  reveal  a  beauty  of  form  and  brilliancy  of  color- 
ing perfectly  astonishing,  suggestive  rather  of  tropical  suns  than 
Arctic  cold.  Much  of  Dr.  Bessel's  collection  was  lost,  and  the 
more  bulky  articles  were  necessarily  abandoned  on  taking  to  the 
boats ;  but  his  records  being  preserved,  the  scientific  world  will 
yet  receive  a  full  detailed  description  of  his  work  and  discoveries. 

CONCLUSION. 

The  Polaris  expedition,  combined  with  the  pre -Arctic  expe- 
riences of  Captain  Tyson,  prove  conclusively  several  points : 

1st.  That  white  men  can  safely  winter  at  as  high  a  latitude  as 
Sl°  38'  N. ; 

2d.  That  a  well-built  and  properly  officered  steam-vessel  can  sail 
to  82°  16'  N.  with  no  insuperable  impediment  to  farther  progress; 

3d.  That  no  dearee  of  cold  vet  encountered  bv  Arctic  travelers 
impedes  explorations,  if  the  party  is  well  fed  and  clothed; 

4th.  From  the  experience  of  Captain  Tyson  on  bis  whaling 
voyages,  with  his  observations  of  others  engaged  in  the  same  pur- 
suit, it  is  evident  that  there  exists  in  the  United  States  a  large 
body  of  men  sufficiently  acclimated  to  Arctic  cold  to  make  excel- 
lent Polar  explorers,  without  submitting  themselves  to  greater 
hardships  than  are  common  incidents  of  whaling  voyages; 


412  ARCTIC  EXPERIENCES. 

otli.  That  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  in  exploring  expedi- 
tions to  hiive  bomo"enitv,  not  onlv  of  feeliiitf  but  of  nice,  in  the 
members  of  the  party  ; 

0th.  That  tliere  should  be  but  one  bead  or  commander;  and 
that  all  others,  including  the  Scientific  Corps,  if  any  are  present, 
should  be  subordinate  to  the  commander  in  chief; 

7tli.  That  definite  and  severe  penalties  should  be  attached,  by 
competent  authority,  to  the  crime  of  willfully  impeding  or  ob- 
structing the  purposes  of  an  exploring  expedition  by  any  mem- 
ber of  it; 

8th.  Considering  that  the  public  interest  centres  in  the  discov- 
ery of  the  pole  and  the  settlement  of  that  elusive  mystery,  we 
believe  that  not  only  geographical  but  all  alliliated  sciences 
would  be  in  the  end  promoted  by  making  the  next  expedition 
purchj  fjen(jrapJiical,  and  leaving  it  unembarrassed  by  a  possibly 
confHcting  corps  of  officers  under  tlie  name  of  ••scientilic."'  An 
ex{)edition  oi-ganized  for  the  sole  purpose  of  reaching  an  object- 
ive jioint  would  be  far  more  likely  to  accomplish  it  if  unim- 
peded by  discursive  projects,  however  valuable  per  se.  Lot  a 
good  ice  navigator  find  the  pole  first,  and  then  all  the  scientific 
men  who  are  so  disposec,  can  avail  themselves  of  the  opened 
pathwav  to  make  what  investigations  they  please. 

We  have  seen  clearly  where  the  weak  points  of  the  Pularis 
expedition  marred  its  efficiency.  The  members  sailed  out  of  the 
Brooklyn  Navy  Yard  already  disintegrated  by  lack  of  mutual 
respect,  and  divided  by  the  line  of  native  and  foreign  interests; 
the  commander  also  knowing  that  part  of  his  company  were  not 
to  be  relied  on  in  an  emergency;  and  from  the  fact  of  having  so 
large  a  number  of  Ibreigners  on  board,  he  had  not  that  moral 
support  to  lean  upon  which  could  alone  nerve  him  to  the  exer- 
cise of  his  ultimate  authority  in  quelling  insubordination.  No 
commander  is  justified  in  proceeding  on  an  expedition  with  such 
clearly  defined  elements  of  weakness  patent  to  his  observation. 

Another  weak  iwint,  and  a  ereat  incumbrance  in  case  of  dis- 
aster,  was  the  presence  of  women  and  children  ;  these  should 
find  no  place  in  an  exploring  expedition  ;  they  are  drag-anchors. 
at  the  best,  and  the  source  of  discord  and  demoralization  in  al- 
most every  instance.  , 

So  far  as  the  vessel  and  her  equipments  were  concerned,  the 
expedition  reflects  the  highest  credit  upon  the  liberalitv  of  the 


ARCTIC  CHKON()LOGY.  413 

Government  and  the  judicious  arrangements  of  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy.  The  fact  that  not  one  of  the  members  were  afUieted 
with  .scurvy,  or  any  serious  ilhiess,  proves  the  excellence  of  the 
provisions  furnished  and  the  discrimination  with  which  thej' 
were  selected;  and  it  is  the  plainest  and  most  obvious  deduc- 
tion, that  if  this  nartv  had  worked  hannoniouslv  togfether,  and 
the  commanding  oilicer  had  remained  to  winter  another  season, 
by  detaching  exploring  parties,  and  establishing  caches  of  provis- 
ions at  distances  of  forty  or  fifty  miles  apart,  that  the  interven- 
ing distance — only  four  hundred  and  sixty  miles  from  the  geo- 
graphical pole,  a  distance  no  greater  than  fiom  New  Yo.'k  to 
Halifax — could  have  been  reached,  and  the  great  Polar  mystery 
solved. 

In  the  possibilities  which  this  expedition  has  revealed,  there 
is  more  encouragement  to  future  explorers  than  tan  be  derived 
from  that  of  any  preceding  it;  and  the  lonely  grave  of  the  brave 
commander,  instead  of  proving  a  warning  beacon,  will  be  but  the 
beckoning  signal  to  his  successor,  ])ointiiig  the  way  whither  he 
himself  would  have  gone  had  not  a  treacherous  fate  struck  him 
down  where  he  lies. 

ARCTIC   CHRONOLOGY. 

From  1490  to  1857  there  were  one  hundred  and  thirty -four 
voyages,  land  journeys,  and  trans -glacial  expeditions  made  to 
the  Polar  regions.  Of  these,  sixty-three  went  to  the  north-west, 
twenty-nine  tia  Behring  Strait,  and  the  balance  to  the  north-east 
or  due  north. 

AVithin  tliG  same  period  there  were  published  two  hundred 
and  tifty-seven  volumes  on  Arctic  research;  to  which  may  now 
be  added  a  host  of  American.  p]nelish,  and  other  foreis-n  writers, 
with  a  long  list  of  scientilic  and  popular  works  germane  to  Polar 
matters. 

To  those  of  our  readers  who  desire  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  scientific  results  of  exploring-parties,  and  what  was  ac- 
complished in  this  respect  by  the  Scientific  Corps  of  the  Polaris, 
we  refer  them  to  the  publications  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution, 
which,  either  in  their  "Keports"  or  "Contributions,"  conserves 
all  information  of  value  relating  to  the  meteorology,  astronomical 
observation.",  experiments  on  magnetic  influences  within  the  Arc- 
tic circle,  with  descriptions  of  the  fauna  and  flora  of  those  regions, 


414  ARCTIC  EXrKRIENCES. 

giving  the  details  of  work  which  would  not  comport  with  the  pop- 
ular character  of  this  book. 

We  also  think  that  it  would  be  wearisome  and  useless  to  bur- 
den our  chronoloev  with  every  name  and  date  connected  with 
Arctic  research.  We  have,  therefore,  carefully  selected  such  as 
will  give  the  inquirer  a  general  continuous  outline  and  digest  of 
facts;  sufficiently  full,  however,  to  enable  any  would-be  student 
of  minutite  to  fill  up  the  history  by  personal  research  with  very 
little  trouble. 

Giinniborn,  a  Norseman,  from  Iceland,  visits  Greenland 872 

Eric  the  Ked,  son  of  a  Norwegian  jarl,  settled  in  Greenland  near  present  site  of 

Julianashaal) 1)8.'{ 

Eric  visits  Iceland,  and  returns  with  a  number  of  emigrants,  with  the  purpose 

of  settling  a  coloiiv-  in  Greenland,  at  IJrattalilid 985 

liief,  son  of  Eric,  visits  Norway,  receives  C'hiistiaiiity,  retiu-ns,  and  proclaims 

it  in  (ireenland  toward  the  close  of  the  ninth  century,  about 9!)8 

Thjodhilda,  wife  of  Eric,  builds  a  church 100:.' 

Bisiiop  Eric,  a  Christian  prelate,  visits  Greenland 1120 

Bishop  Arnold  founds  an  Episcopal  see  at  Garder,  Greeidand,  and  builds  a  ca- 
thedral    112»i 

Colony  attacked  by  the  Skraellings,  or  Esquimaux,  who  burn  and  jjillage  the 

settlement,  killing  many  inhabitants i:UO 

Voyage  of  the  two  Venetian  brotiiersZeni,  who  reported  land  in  the  north-west.   1380 
Bishop's  See  abandoned  m  Greenland,  and  Eric's  descendants  utterly  wiped  out 

and  exterminated  soon  after  by  the  Esquimaux 140',i 

Voyages  of  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot,  passing  the  Arctic  circle  to  the  north- 
west    14y()-"!)S 

The  brothers  Cortereal  made  three  voyages  to  the  north-west ir>00-'08 

Polar  expedition,  under  Sir  Hugh  Willoughby,  discovered  i)art  of  Nova  Zembla; 

the  whole  party  subsequently  frozen  to  death  on  the  coast  of  Lapland I.jOU 

.T.  Cartier,  a  French  navigator,  made  several  voyages  of  discovery  to  the  north 

and  west ir.34-'42 

Sir  Iliunphrey  Gilbert,  on  return  from  north-west  voyage  of  exploration,  foun- 
dered at  sea ir»"8 

Captain  John  Davis  ex]ilored  the  east  and  west  coasts  of  Davis  Strait ir)8ri-\s8 

William  Barentz  made  three  Arctic  voyages  to  the  north-east lo!)4-'9(J 

Captain  Weymouth  sailed  from  England,  under  a  contract  to  find  a  north-west 

passage  to  China,  or  forfeit  all  pay  for  his  voyage 1G02 

Ilemy  Hudson  made  four  voyages  of  discovery,  sailing  due  north,  north-east 
and  north-west ;  found  new  and  valuable  lands,  extending  from  New  York 
to  north  of  Hudson  Bay.  On  last  voyage,  deserted  by  mutinous  crew,  set 
adrift  in  a  small  boat  with  six  sick  sailors,  and  voluntarily  accompanied  by 
his  carpenter,  John  King,  he  and  his  seven  companions  perished  at  sea.   1G07-'10 

.Jan  Mejan,  a  Dutch  navigator,  discovers  Arctic  island  of  that  name Kill 

Sir  Thomas  Button,  the  first  to  sail  across  Hudson  Bay  from  east  to  west.     His 

name  obliterated  from  modern  maps 1G12 

William  Baffin  and  Fotherby,  in  1(J14,  and  Baffin  and  Bylot,  in  1G16,  sailed 


ARCTIC  CHRONOLOGY.  415 

through  Baffin  Bay  to  mouth  of  Lancaster  Sound.  Their  reported  discover- 
ies treated  as  mviiis 1G14-'1*> 

Captain  Luke  Fox  discovered  Fox  Ciiainiel,  and  penetrated  otiier  waters  to  the 
noitii  and  west ;  coidd  iiave  acc()nij)ii>hed  much  more  had  he  not  heen  tram- 
meled by  official  ''orders.''  Captain  James  sailed  on  a  similar  expedition 
the  same  day  in  May U;',i\,  '32 

A  Dutch  navigator  discovers  and  names,  after  himself,  Gillies  Land 1707 

Vitus  Ik'hring,  a  Russian  naval  officer,  a  Dane  by  birth,  discovers  Behriiig 
Strait  and  Hehiiug  Island 1741 

Middletou  ilisovers  Wager  Bay 1742 

The  British  rarliament  ottered  A'2(),(M)0  for  the  discovery  of  a  north-west  pas- 
sage to  the  I'acitic  ria  Hudson  Bay 17i3 

A  private  ex[)edition  to  the  north-west,  under  Captain  Charles  Swayne,  sails  in 
the  Arffo  from  Philadelphia 17.")4 

Hearne  made  three  land-journeys  north  of  American  continent,  discovered  the 
Copjierniine  River,  which  he  traced  to  its  soiu'ce 1772 

A  private  expedition,  nnder  Captain  Wilder,  in  the  brig  Diligence,  sails  from 
Virginia  in  search  of  the  north-west  passage 1772 

Captain  I'hipps  (Lord  Mulgrave)  makes  a  voyage  of  I'olar  discoveiy  to  the 
north-east 1773 

British  Parliament  oflers  £20.0(10  for  the  discovery  of  any  through  passage  to 
the  North  Pacific,  and  i'lOOO  to  any  ])arty  getting  within  one  degree  west  of 
the  magnetic  pole 177t« 

Captain  Cook,  the  circumnavigator,  attempts  the  passage  by  Behring  Strait, 
without  success 1 7  7(i 

Mackenzie  found  and  traced  the  river  of  that  name 17!^'.' 

William  Scoresby,  a  (ireenland  whaler,  makes  a  remarkable  voyage  due  north. 

Reports  open  water  ''beyond  the  ice-barrier" ISOO 

Scoresby  stimulates  Arctic  research  by  numerous  publications 180(5-'18 

Expeditions  under  Cajjtain  Ross  and  Lieutenant  Parry  1818 

Captain  Buchan  and  Lieutenant  (afterward  Sir  J.j  Franklin  sail  with  a  thor- 
oughly ecpiippod  expedition,  the  first  scientific  party  sent  out  by  the  British 
Government 1818 

Captain  I'arry  and  Lieutenant  Lyon,  in  the  Ilecia  and  Griper;  Parry  sailed 
north-west  through  Barrow  Stiait  and  beyond,  and  claimed  the  Government 
reward  of  £5000 1820 

Remarkable  land -journeys  of  Lieutenant  Franklin  and  Dr.  Richardson,  also 
Midshipmen  Hood  and  Back  (afterward  Sir  George),  from  York  Factory  to 
Cape  Turnagain 181<V22 

Baron  Von  Wrangel  makes  his  famous  sledge-joiu'ney,  and  reported  open  water 
in  high  northern  latitude,  known  as  "Wrangel  Sea" 1820-'2:) 

Clavering,  with  Colonel  Sabine,  go  to  Spitzliergcn  and  (ireenland  in 1823 

Captain  Beechey,  in  the  Blossom,  goes  through  Behring  Strait,  and  follows  the 
coast  easterly  to  Barrow  Point 182.'},  '24 

Captain  Parry  made  improvement  in  compasses  to  be  used  in  Arctic  navigation  1824 

Franklin  skirts  the  north  coast  of  America  as  far  west  as  Return  Reef. 182t> 

Franklin  winters  with  Dr.  Richardson  at  Great  Bear  Lake ;  made  interesting 
experiments  on  terrestrial  magnetism,  etc 1826,  '27 

Captain  Beechey  makes  a  second  attempt  to  meet  Franklin  from  the  Pacific  side, 
and  fails 1827 


416  ARCTIC  EXPKKIENCKS. 

Parry  makes  anotlier  voyage  to  the  north-east ;  travels  in  sledges  north  of  Spitz- 
lieigcn.  and  drifts  faster  south  than  he  travels  north 18L'7 

A  i)rivate  ex])ediiion.  nnder  jiatroiiage  of  Sir  Felix  IJooth,  sail.-,  under  ( 'ajitain 
John  Hoss  ill  the  Vitorij.  in  whieh  steuin  was  lirst  used  in  Arctie  ex|ilora- 
tioii I,s2;» 

Sir  John  Hoss  finds  and  fixes  magnetie  jjule;  English  "  union -jaek"  jilaineil 
upon  it  hy  his  nejiliew,  James  C.  Ross 1S;!1 

Captain  llo^s  ahandoiis  his  vessel,  after  wintering  three  years  in  the  Arctic  re- 
gions, hiiilds  boats,  drags  them  overland  to  the  coast ;  put  to  sea;  jiicked 
up  hy  a  whaler  in  July,  1833 

Lieutenant  Pack  and  Dr.  King  go  overland  from  Fort  Resolution  in  search  of 
Ross WX\ 

Lieutenant  Hack  di.-c(^vers  and  traces  the  (ireat  Fish,  or  Rack,  River 1833-35 

The  Hudson  Ray  ('oini>any  send  out  Messrs.  Dease  and  Simpson,  who  make 
valiiaiile  discoveries  on  a  land  and  boat  journey 18.">7,  "38 

Sir  John  Franklin,  in  the  Erebus,  and  Captain  Crozier,  in  the  Terror,  sail  in 
the  spring  of 1 84r( 

The  Erehus  and  Ttrrnr  last  seen  by  Ca])tain  Dannet,  master  of  the  Avhaler 
Prince  of  W<i!es,  in  Raffin  Ray,  near  Lancaster  Sound  July  L't>,  i84."i 

Hudson  Ray  Company  send  Dr.  John  Rae  to  ascertain  if  Roothia  is  an  island 
or  peninsula 18-K> 

The  Plover,  (^ommander  Thomas  Moore,  and  the  Herald,  Captain  Kellet. 
with  Mr.  Robert  Sheddon  in  his  jileasure-yacht,  the  Xanctj  Dmrson.  sail  to 
Rehritig  Strait,  and  make  boat-journeys  eastward,  searching  for  Sir  J.  Frank- 
lin   , i8+8-r)(» 

A  searching  exj)editi<in  for  Sir  J.  Franklin  sails,  under  Sir  James  C.  Ross,  in  1848 

The -Vor/A  ^V<//- is  sent  out  with  su])i)lies 184!i 

The  Rritish  Government  otfer.s  a  reward  of  £20,000  to  any  party,  of  any  nation, 
relieving  Sir  J.  Franklin's  expedition 184!> 

The  Rritish  Covenmient  sends  out  eight  vessels,  with  several  tenders,  to  con- 
tinue the  search 18,")0 

Mr.  Ilenrv  Criiniell.  of  New  York,  furnishes  and  e<iui]is  the  Advance  iUid  Res- 
cue, to  aid  in  the  search  for  Franklin.  Tlie  United  States  Government  orders 
Lieutenants  De  Haven  and  Griffith  to  command  the  ves.sels 1850 

Ca]>tain  !M'Clure,  in  the  Investujutor.  and  Captain  Collinson,  in  xho.  Enterprise, 
go  on  the  search  through  Rehring  Strait.  The  north-west  pa^  .ige  solved  by 
M'Clure(by  observation) October  31,  1850 

The  Ladi)  Fninklin  is  sent  out  by  wife  of  Sir  J.  Franklin,  imder  (\iptain  I'enny  18r«) 

Lady  Frankiin  organizes  anotlier  expedition  to  sail  in  the  yacht  Prin<:e  Albert, 
of  8!)  tons.  ilr.  William  R.  Snow,  of  New  York,  goes  to  Aberdeen,  anJ  sails 
in  her  as  amateur  exjilorer,  with  Captain  Forsyth 1850 

Captain  Ommany,  of  the  Assistance,  discovers  the  first  traces  of  Sir  J.  Frank- 
lin's party  at  Cape  Riley , August  23,  IS.IO 

At  Reechey  Island  Lieutenant  Sherrard  Osborne  first  found  debris  of  F/anklin's 
first  winter  encampment,  and  three  graves  of  sailors  belonging  to  Erebus  and 
Terror August  2.5,  1850 

Lieutenant  De  Haven,  in  Advance,  arrived  at  Reechey  Island August  27,  1850 

Ten  of  the  searching  vessels,  drawn  as  by  a  common  instinct,  without  appointed 
rendezvous,  met  at  Reechey  Island August  29,  1850 

Leigh  Smith,  in  English  yacht,  reaches  lat.  81°  13,'  sailing  north-east 1851 


AUCTIC  CIIHONOLOGY.  417 

C'ai)t;iiii  Wilkes,  riiited  States  Navy,  nicmori.ilized  Crmgrcss  for  appropriation  of 
.*.">(t,(MM»  to  tit  out  a  >U'(ige-('xpe(liiioii  to  aid  in  the  search IH.'d 

Captain  Keiniedy.  with  younjj;  Freiieh  vuhniieer.  Heljot.  sails  in  /'rin<eAlfiirt.    IS.'d 

Captain  William  I'enny  discovers  sea  to  the  iiortli  of  Wellington  Cliannel : 
names  (irinnell  Land  Albert  Land,  thinking  it  nnkncjwn 1H51 

Sir  F.dward  Helchcr  >ails  with  a  Heet  of  five  vessels,  to  continue  the  search li^.'i:: 

(-,ai)tain  Inglelield,  with  Rene  Jiellot,  sails  in  the  P/mnir lf<.")l' 

Dr.  K.  K.  Kane,  hite  singeon  of  the  Adrnnri',  is  sent  out  in  that  vessel,  fitted 
up  at  expense  of  Mr.  IL  (irinnoll,  of  New  York,  and  Mr.  George  Teubody, 
of  London:   tlie  latter  jiaid  ild.OOit 18.">3 

Captain  M'Clnre.  in  the  Inrestiyatur.  from  Hehring  Strait,  meets  Lieutenant 
I'im  near  Dealy  I^lan(l,  the  latter  having  entered  the  Arctic  regions  throiigli 
Baffin  Hay  .....  Aiail  I'.t,  IH.'iS 

Hritish  searching  shij)  Resolute,  of  Sir  Kdward  Helcher's  Heet,  abandoned 1853 

Cajitaiu  Colliiison.  in  the  Jinfirjirise.  comiiletes  the  passage  (solving  north- 
west) in  his  .s/tip  twenty  days  after  ^I  "Cline :  turns  to  the  south-east,  makes 
many  discoveries,  and  brings  home  relics  of  Sir  John  Franklm's  ))arty l.S.")0-'">4 

Sir  .lohti  Franklin's  name  stricken  from  the  Navy  List March  IIJ.  lS.'i4 

Sir  Kdward  Belcher  orders  five  good  ships  to  be  abandoned 1S.J4 

The  Resolute,  one  of  Sir  Edward  Belcher's  Heet,  starts  on  a  drift  of  a  thousand 
miles,  from  near  Dealy  Island  to  Cape  .Mercy 1S.")4,  '.">.■■> 

Sir  F.d«  ard  Belcher  and  othcers  court-martialed  in  England :  all  honorably  ac- 
(luitted,  except  Sir  F^dward,  "whose  sword  was  returned  to  him  in  signifi- 
cant silence  " 1S.J4,  "">;") 

Captain  M'Clure  knighted,  and  Captain  CoUinson  receives  medal  of  honor 1)554; 

Dr.  Kane,  in  brig  Adranre,  explores  cast  coast  of  Smith  Sound  ;  discovers  and 
names  Iluniholdt  (Jlacier;  surveys  eight  hundred  miles  of  coast  of  (jreen- 
hmd  and  Washington  Land,  which  he  tiiuls  and  names  :  abandons  Ailrawe ; 
comes  down  with  crew  to  I'pernavik  in  small  boats,  wliidi  he  reaches  Au- 
gust <; :  announces  uiscovery  by  ^lorton  of  the  "  I'olar  Sea" lS,")3-'55 

Lieutenant  llartstene,  in  Uniteil  States  ship,  searches  for  Dr.  Kane.  ])as-ing 
above  Kensselaer  Harbor;  returns  to  Upenuivik,  and  takes  on  board  Kane 
and  his  company 1855 

Messrs.  Anderscm  and  Stuart  find  relics  r  f  the  F'ranklin  expedition  at  ^lotitreal 
Island 1S55 

Lieutenants  Meacham  and  ^I'Clintock  make  separate  Arctic  land-journeys  of 
nearly  fifteen  hundred  miles  each 1854,  "55 

Captain  Tyson,  tlien  boat-steerer  on  board  bark  George  Henrif,  of  New  London, 
Ca])tain  Jaines  Buddington,  first  sighted  the  Resolute  near  Cape  Mercy,  and 
visited  it  with  three  companions,  bringing  back  relics  to  his  vessel. .   August,  1855 

The  Resolute  taken  possession  oi  by  Caiitain  Buddington,  and  brought  to  the 
United  States 1855 

Resolute  refitted,  and  presented  to  Queen  Victoria  by  Lieutenant  llartstene, 
representing  the  United  States,  on  December  l(i,  "in  then.ime  of  the  Amer- 
ican people" 1856 

Lady  F^-anklin  sends  out  the  steam-yaeht  For,  Captain  M'Clintock,  to  make 
a  final  search  for  Sir  John 1857 

Private  expedition  of  James  Lamont.  F'.G.S.,  to  the  north-east 1858 

The  Fox  is  beset  in  the  Melville  Bay  ice-jiack,  August  and  September,  1857, 
and  drifts  southward  until April,  1858 

27 


418  AlUTIC  KXl'KHIKNCES. 

IJciiteniint  Ilobson,  of  the  Fmr.  toiiiid  llii-  record  ot'  ttic  (loath  of  Sir  .Fohn 
Franklin  in  a  cairn  at  Victory  I'oint.      Date  of  death,  .Jinic  11,  lS47 18r>H 

Captain  .M'Clintoik  tiiid- two  skeletons  in  a  I'oat,  incinhersof  Fraiikhn's  party; 
collects  miMieroiis  relics,  and  returns lf<.V,i 

Dr.  I.  I.  Hayes  sailed  in  the  steamer  L'nited  States,  from  Hoston  ;  made  ex- 
tcndeil  land-journey  on  west  coast  of  Smith  Suiind  and  north  of  it;  made 
extensive  disctiveries  of  new  lands  and  connecting;  waters  ;  planted  the  Amer- 
ican fla;;  on  the  most  northern  latitude  attained  on  foot  uji  to  that  date.  .    ISOO,  '(II 

("aprtain  I'arker  Snow  sailed  for  IJcllot  Strait  and  Kiiij;  William  Land l,HtJl 

.V  (i(>venune;it  Swedish  exjiediiion,  under  l'rol'es>or  Torell,  thi>rou;,'hly  fitted 
out,  and  having  on  hoard  a  large  numher  of  scientists,  natiiraiists,  and  stu- 
dents, sailed  for  the  seas  nortli  of  Spitzhergcn May  ',',  ISGl 

Hlomstand  linds  the  sea  free  of  ice  to  the  north  ot  Spit/.liergen August  10,  istjl 

C'iiAi!i.i:s  Kkancis  Mali.,  an  amateur  exjilorer.  sailed  from  .New  Lonoon,  Con- 
necticut, in  the  hrig  (leurtfe  Henri/,  to  continue  the  search  for  survivors  of 
Franklin's  i)arty  ;  lost  his  vessel,  the  Jiisrue:  explored  Froljisher  Strait; 
found  the  "  strait"  to  he  u  hay  :  brought  hack  many  relics  of  the  old  naviga- 
tor      lS(;0-'62 

Charles  Francis  Hall  makes  a  second  vuyage  to  Hudson  Hay.  north  shore,  in 
the  hark  Montirelli),  with  only  two  F'.sipiimaux  companions;  increases  his 
native  com])any ;  adds  live  white  >ailors ;  exjilores  to  the  north  and  west.  ;uid 
gaii:s  miu'h  information  respecting  the  Franklin  jiarty 1;^(!4- 

I'.dward  Wliymper.  a  memher  of  the  London  ".Miiiiie  Cluh."  went  to  Green- 
land, and  made  interesting  expilorations liS(J7 

Haron  Schilling  jirojected  an  exi)editioii  hy  the  Hehring  Stiait  route,  exjiecting 
to  skirt  the  Siheriaii  coast,  and  tiiid  the  Polar  Sea,  or  a  I'olar  continent, 
which  he  helieves  exists 1807 

Captain  Long,  of  hark  Xile,  in  lat.  70  40'  N.,  17.S  l.">'  W.,  ex]ilored  over  .'5^  of 
an  extensive  land,  and  examined  an  extinct  volcano  i;4so  feet  high 18G7 

Captain  Haynor,  of  ship  lieiiulrer.  ex]ilorod  the  same  land  for  over  ."i  of  lon- 
gitude :  thought  it  extended  for  more  than  s  of  longitude,  aiul  liorth  for  120 
miles.  The  south-west  cape  of  this  laud  he  re])orts  L'.">  miles  from  tlie  Asiatic 
coast 18G7 

Cap.ain  Lewis,  of  the  Curinihian.  landed  on  this  coast  in  August;  found  tlcnv- 
ers  and  birds,  and  indications  of  coal 1807 

Lord  Dntlerin,  in  schooner-yacht  Faaui,  made  an  Arctic  voyage  to  north  of 
Spit/.hergen,  ete 18(»7 

A  Swedish  expedition,  under  Professor  Nordeiiskiold.  made  interesting  discov- 
eries in  nat;nal  science  to  the  nortli-east 18C8 

A  Kiissiau  merchant — Sidgeotl" — sent  out  a  scientific  exploring  exjiediiion  in  a 
screw-steamer June,  18t!8 

A  priv.ite  exjiedition.  sent  (tut  by  "SI.  A.  Hoscnthal.  a  merchant  of  Hremen, 
with  scientific  conts.  with  eminent  astronomer.  Dr.  .1.  S.  Doest.  of  .liilich...,  18C8 

(^aptain  IJIowen,  of  bark  Nautilus,  explored  north  of  S])itzbergen  to  I'l'  N.  ; 
observed  land  extending  west  as  far  as  he  coidd  see 1868 

The  Gotha  expedition,  forwarded  by  Jlr.  Koscnthal,  with  large  screw-steamer 
Albert,  a  walrus-hunter,  with  a  crew  of  fifty-five  men,  provisioned  for  fifteen 
months,  with  scientific  cor])s.  under  Dr.  Kmil  Bessel  (late  of  Polaris),  re- 
turned after  an  absence  of  only  four  months 18G9 

Charles  Francis  Hall  returns  from  his  F'lanklin  search  expedition,  after  five 


AKCTIC  CIIKDNOLOGY.  41i< 

years'  residence  with  the  Ki<(juimaiix.  with  l."(»  relics  of  the  Franklin  par- 
ty   Si'iiteiiiiitT  1.  iH(;;t 

Seven  Arctic  exf)cditions  or^ani/ed  and  toruarded  from  different  parts  of  Kii- 
ro])e  to  Arctic  re^rions ISO!" 

Dr.  A.  I'ctcrinan  organized  ii  party  which  sailed  in  the  (ifriminiti,  Captain 
Ilcfjenian :  and  sailing-vessel  Ilnnsn,  C'a]>tain  Koldewy — thirty-one  officers 
and  men.  anil  six  scientists.  I^'ft  Hreinurhsiven  for  North  I'ole,  rin  ea-'t 
coast  of  tJreenland.  provisioned  for  two  years IHO'.t 

Cajitain  I'alliser.  |(ri\ate  Kn^lish  gentleman,  goes  to  the  north,  between  Spitz- 
hergeii  and  Nova  Zenilila l^t;^t 

J.  Lainont.  F.(i.S.,  author  of  •"Arctic  Zoology"  and  M.l'.  for  nnteshire.  (its 
out  his  own  steam-yacht,  at  a  c(jst  of  nearly  !§.">(),0(M»;  sailed  for  the  noith 
from  ( 'aledi mian  ( 'anal 1 8(>0 

Mr.  Kohert  IJrown.  an  I'.nglish  natiu'alist,  explored  extensively  within  Arctic 
circle  in  (ireenland.     Printed  report  on  Arctic  fauna IJ^Cilt 

Steamship  Panf/id-.  from  Boston,  with  Bradford,  the  artist  and  photographer, 
Dr.  Hayes,  and  otlicrs.  penetrate  the  Melville  ice-pack,  in  jmrsuit  of  artistic 
icebergs IHCU 

Dr.  Hayes,  in  the  steamer  Pdutlur,  in  boats,  and  on  foot,  makes  interesting 
arcli;cological  disco\eries  relating  to  the  early  Norse  .settlements  in  (ireen- 
land, summer  of 18fi!» 

A  French  expediti(jn  went  from  north  of  Eiu'ope  to  Arctic  regions,  to  observe  and 
collect  facts  relating  to  the  aurora  borealis,  with  the  follon:;)g  eminent  savants: 
M.M.  Lottin.  Bravais.  Lillcliook.  and  Silgestrom,  with  .M.  Bevalct  as  artist.  LS(;8,  'Gl* 

The  sailing  vessel  Iluitsti,  of  the  Cierman  ex])edition,  was  lost  (jii  the  east  coast 
of  (ireenland,  in  lat.  70^  oO',  with  a  valuable  collection  of  fauna  and  flora  and 
scientific  records,  on  the  L'.">d  of  ()ctob(>r,  ls(;it.  Her  captain  and  crew,  14  in 
mnnber,  had  collected  provisions  and  fuel,  with  three  boats,  on  the  ice,  on 
which  also  was  a  small  house.  They  saw  the  llnnsa  sink ;  then  the  ice  drift- 
ed with  them  to  tlie  south.  On  January  'J.  1S7(I.  the  ice-Hoe  was  liroken  up 
in  a  storm,  and  greatly  reduced  in  size.  The  jiarty  divided,  each  taking  a 
boat  on  January  11,  to  be  ready  for  emergencies.  They  took  to  the  sea 
and  worked  southward  in  their  boats,  after  drifting  I'.K".  days,  and  crossing 
over  !•'  of  latitude.  Early  in  June  they  rounded  Cape  Farewell,  and 
reached  the  Danish  mission  station,  at  Friedrichsthal,  and  from  thence  ob- 
taineii  ]iassage  liome  to  Bremen ISCiD,  '70 

An  excellently  planned  French  Arctic  exploring  expedition,  under  the  savant 
(iustave  Lambert,  was  prevented  from  sailing  by  the  outbreak  of  war  with 
(iermany  ;  its  projector,  Lambert,  killed  in  battle 1870 

United  States  Congress  makes  appro] )riat ion  tor  outfit  of  the  United  States 
North  Polar  expedition,  under  Captain  C.  F.  Uall,  the  authorizing  act  being 
signed  by  I'resiilent  (irant July  12. 1870 

Polaris  leaves  Washington  June  10;  arrives  at  the  Brooklyn  Xavy  Yard,  to  be 
fitted  for  the  voyage June  14,  1871 

United  States  steamshij)  Polaris  sails  from  Brooklyn  June  2!> ;  touches  at 
New  r.ondon,  Connecticut:  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland;  and  several  Green- 
land ports :  and  meets  the  United  States  steamship  Congress,  with  supplies, 
at  Goodhavn August  10, 1871 

A  French  gentleman.  Octave  l*avy,  from  San  Francisco,  sailed  to  go  to  the 
Polar  Sea,  via  the  Kuro  Siicv 1871 


420  AUCTic  exi'i:uii:n(:i:s. 

The  Polaris  reaches  the  hi;;hest  northern  liititiide  ever  attained  l»v  nnv  ves- 
sel   AiiKii:.t  ;t(».  1S7I 

tJoes  into  winter-quarters  at  Thnnli  (idil  lIarlM)r,  Septenilwr  ;J,  in  hit;he>t  win- 
ter-(|imrters  made  hy  Arctic  explorers lf>71 

l^ajitaiii  Hall  >taifs  du  a  -li'cl^^c-iciiiiiicy  tti  the  noith  :  i>  absent  two  wecRs  ; 
ret  111  lis  ill  <,'i)(><l  health  tu  the  I'olnris Octoher  L'l.  lt<71 

Is  iniineiliately  taken  ill,  partially  ie( dvcis,  lelapses,  and  ilies  November  .S,  and 
is  hiiiied  on  the  11th 1H71 

Captain  Altniaii  lanie  near  King  Carl  Land;  saw  no  ice  at  7'.>    N IbTl 

A  Norwegian  whaleman,  KUing  Carlsen,  eircumnuvigatcd  Nova  Zcmlila;  an- 
choicii  in  Ice  Haven,  71'  li»'.  on  the  i-oiitii-ea^t  shore  ot'niost  eastern  i>laiicl  ; 
found  the  house  erected  by  ^\■illian.  iJaieiiiz,  the  J)iitch  explorer,  two  hundicd 
and  eighty-seven  years  before 1871 

iV  Kii->iaii  (iovenmient  expedition  started  from  Archangel,  and  another  from 
the  Vc'iii>ei  Kiver 1871 

•lames  Lainont,  of  Kngland,  made  three  Arctic  voyages 1H('>1»'71 

West  Indian  fruits  and  drift-wood  found  north  of  Nova  Zenibja  hy  wl[alei->.    1871,  '7-' 

Swucli>h  (icAeninient  ex](eclitic)ii,  under  I'rcifes-or  Noiclen>kiiiic|.  sailed  in  the 
I'vlhecn.  an  iron  steamship,  with  a  steam  consort,  and  a  brig,  in  the  sum- 
mer of 1872 

Lieutenant  Payer,  of  the  Austrian  army,  and  Lieutenant  Weypiecht,  oi  the 
Austrian  navy,  hired  a  Norwegian  sailing-vessel,  and  sailed  in  .luiie  for  King 
Carl  Land;  in  7."^'  found  the  sea  open,  and  made  other  valuahle  discoveries...   1872 

An  Italian  (.iovernment  steaiuship  accoin]panied  the  aliove  expeditioii  to  the 
north  cape  of  Nova  Zembla 1872 

Ca])tain  Nils  Jansen.  a  Norwegian  whaler,  in  a  vessel  of  'li\  tons,  sailed  east  of 
Spitzbergen    to  bay  of  King  I'ail   Laud:   from  to]i   of  high   mountain  saw 
the  open  water  east  and  north-east;   no  ice:  to  tiie  N.N.W.  land  was  visi- 
ble fthe  (lillis  La'id  of  the  old  geographers^  ;  saw  birds,  seals,  large  reindeer, 
and  iiuantities  of  drift-wood.     Anchored  in  7!'^  «'  N 1872 

Arctic  exploring  ship  Polaris  breaks,  during  a  violent  stonn,  from  the  floe  to 
which  she  is  anehored,  and  is  driven  in  a  north-easterly  direction  by  the 
wind,  leaving  nineteen  persons  adrift  on  the  ice October  15,  1872 

Captain  Buddingtou  beaches  the  Polaria  (October  K!)  at  Life-boat  Cove,  near 
Littleton  Island;  abandons  the  shiji,  and  winters  on  the  main-land 1872-7:? 

(Captain  Tyson  with  a  party  of  eighteen  souls  drift  away  cjii  an  ice-flc^e ;  lose 
sight  of  the  Polaris,  and  continue  to  drift  a  S.S.W.  course  from  October  15, 
1872,  until  the  30th  of  Apiil,  1873,  without  serious  sickness  or  loss  of 
life 1872,73 

Captain  Tyson  and  party  picked  up  by  sealer  Tigress,  Ca])tain  Bart- 
lett April  30,  1873 

The  United  States  steamship  Frolic  sent  to  bring  the  party  to  Washington ; 
took  them  on  board  at  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland  ;  sailed  thence  May  28  ;  ar- 
rived at  Washhigton June  5,  1873 

Official  examination  of  the  officers,  crew,  and  Esquimaux  rescued  by  Tigress 
before  a  Nav.il  Board  of  Inquiry,  held  on  board  the  United  States  steamship 
TaIl<ipoosa  at  Washington,  concluded June  Ui,  1873 

Imperial  Geo.graphical  Society  of  Russia  sent  sledtre  exploring  party,  under  the 
experienced  Siberian  traveler,  M.  Tschekanowski,  with  a  two-years'  outfit,  to 
survey  the  coast  of  the  Pokr  Ocean  in  Arctic  Siberia 1873 


AliCTIC  CHRONOLOGY.  421 

Captain  Rii(l(lii)t;ton  and  jiarfy  jiickcil  up  on  June  -';!,  by  tin-  Scotch  whuler 

Jidrensrniif/,  Captain  Allen,  twcnty-tive  niilc-;  south-west  ot'Cajio  York 1873 

Captain  Allen  transfers  Captain  HiuldinKton.  F.niil  Ik'ssel.  ami  nine  others  of 
the  party  to  the  whaler  Ari'fir,  of  Dundee,  which  arrived  with  thcin  at  that 
port Sejitemher  IM,  1873 

Mr.  Bryan,  the  chaplain  ami  astronomer  of  the  I'uhiris  expedition,  with  two 
others  of  the  rescued  |)arty,  transferred  to  the  Scotch  whaler  Intrepid,  and 
from  that  to  the  Krirh 1H73 

News  received  from  the  Swedish  expedition  which  sailed  in  1H72:  the  spec- 
trum analysis  ajiplied  hy  this  party  to  the  aurora  borealis;  wintered  in  lat. 
7'.»'  .■).■!'.  jirocec  liiij,'  north  in  July 1H73 

Professor  Nordcnskiold"s  ex]iedition  beset  in  the  ice  at  Mosel  Bay;  relieved  by 
Leigh  Smith's  jiarty  in  the  summer  of 187o 

The  I'nited  States  steanishi])  Jiinidtn,  Ciiinmaiider  Braiiie,  fitted  out  by  Sec- 
retary of  the  Navy,  and  ordered  t(j  sail  as  a  tender  and  store-ship  to  the  coast 

of  (jreenland,  with  su])plies  for  the  Ti(/ress lune  12,  187;! 

.  The  sealer  Tit/ress,  having;  lieen  purchased  by  the  I'nited  States,  and  fitted  u\)  to 
go  in  search  of  the  Polaris  and  the  jiarry  remaining  in  lier,  sailed  from  the 
Brooklyn  Navy  Yaril,  under  Comniande;'  Greer,  acconijiaiiied  by  Captain  {pro 
tern,  lieutenant  Cnited  States  Navy)  Tyson  as  ice-pilot July  14,  187."> 

The  Tit/ress  imd  Juni<ttit  meet  at  Cpcrnavik  August  Kt :  the  'jr//7rp.w  sails  north 
on  the  nth  ;  meets  the  steam-laimch  Li/tle  Jnnintit  in  Melville  Bay 1873 

Commamler  Greer,  of  the  Tiijress,  finds  Captain  Buddington's  deserted  winter- 
cani[>.  August  14,  near  Littleton  Island,  at  Life-boat  Cove.  Finds  Polaris 
sunk  one  mile  and  a  iialf  from  shore 1873 

The  searching  steamshii)  Tit/ress  returned,  touching  at  Tofsac,  L'jiernavik,  and 
G!,adhavn  for  news.  August  25,  sailed  to  the  west  coait  to  intercept  whal- 
ers:  put  into  Cumberland  Gulf. 1873 

The  whaler  .flrc^/c,  luiving  on  board  Captain  Mark'iam.  IJ.R.X.,  and  L^r.  Emil 
Bessel,  visited  Fury  Beach ;  found  wreck  of  the  British  ship  Fury,  lost  by 
Captain  Parry  in  1S24 ;  also  canned  provisions  in  good  presen-ation,  and 
two  English  muskets  bearing  date  of  18.50,  probably  left  by  Captain  I'enny 
in  1851 August.  1873 

Commander  Braine,  of  the  Juniata,  sends  exploring  party  to  north-west  side  of 
Disco  Island  ;  coal  found  in  abundance September.  187;; 

Leigh  Smith's  English  expedition  in  l.irge  screw-steamer  Diana,  at  Trenerenberg 
Bay,  July  4.  Keturned  to  Scotland  in  September.  Discorered  that  North 
Cape  is  an  island 1873 

Captain  Buddington,  Emil  Bessel,  and  party  arrive  at  New  York  October  4 ; 
proceed  under  orders  in  the  United  States  steamship  Tallapoosa  to  Washing- 
ton: examination  ofthe  party  by  Naval  Board October-December,  1873 

The  Juniata  returns  to  New  York,  arriving October  24,  1873 

Steamsiiip  Tigress  left  Cumberland  Gulf  September  IG ;  four  days  later  ex])e- 
rienced  a  heavy  gale,  which  continued  three  days;  made  Cape  Desolation 
September  24  ;  driven  to  sea  in  another  gale  ;  next  day  anchored  in  a  small 
Fiord  ;  repaired  engine  ;  took  native  pilot ;  made  Ivgitut  Fiord  on  the  27th  ; 
refitted,  and  repaired  boilers  and  engine  ;  sailed  October  4 ;  struck  by  heavy 
gale  on  the  5th,  which  lasted  till  the  8th ;  after  a  short  abatement,  another 
gale.     Returned  to  St.  Johns.  Newfoimdland October  16, 1873 

Tigress  arrived  at  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard November  9, 1873 


ATPENDIX. 


Extract  from  Lettei-  of  Captain  Edwin  W.  White,  of  Groton,  Connecticut,  to 
a  Friend  in  Bro<>kh/n.  Xeic  York,  September  30, 1873. 

"After  liaviiii;  ten  years"  experience  in  tlie  Arctic  reijions  -with  Captain 
Tyson,  I  will  say  that  I  have  ahvays  founil  him  the  best  man  to  consult 
with  that  I  have  ever  met. 

"  I  have  also  made  several  sledge-journeys  with  him,  and  have  always 
found  hi;-  power  of  endurance  ahead  of  any  one  I  ever  traveled  with. 

"  Yours  truly,  Edwin  W.  White.'' 


To  the  llohorabU  Secretary  of  the  United  States  Navy,  George  M.  Robeson. 

Sixth  Suow-house  Encainpinent,  Cape  Brevoort,  north  S'ide  entrance 
to  Kewman  Bay,  lat.  Si'^  ii'  N.,  lung.  61^  20'  W.,  October  20,  1S71. 

Myself  and  party,  consisting  of  Mr.  Chester,  tirst  mate,  my  Esquimau,  Joe. 
and  Greenland  Escjuimau,  Hans,  left  the  ship  in  winter-quarters,  Thank  God 
Harbor,  lat.  8P  38'  N..  long.  01"  44'  AV.,  at  meridian  of  October  10.  on  a  .jour- 
ney by  two  sledges,  drawn  by  fourteen  dogs,  to  discover,  if  possible,  a  feasi- 
ble route  inland  fo"  my  sledge-journey  next  spring  to  reach  the  North  Pole. 
])urposing  to  i!do])t  such  a,  route,  if  found  better  than  a  route  over  the  old 
floes  and  hummocks  of  the  strait,  which  I  have  denominated  Robeson  Strait, 
after  the  honorable  Secretary  of  the  United  States  Navy. 

We  arrived  on  the  evening  of  October  17,  having  discovered  a  lake 
and  a  river  on  our  way ;  the  latter,  our  route,  a  most  serpentine  one,  which 
led  us  on  to  this  bay  tifteen  minutes  distant  from  here,  southward  and  cast- 
ward.  From  the  top  of  an  iceberg,  near  the  mouth  of  said  river,  we  could 
see  that  this  bay — whicli  I  have  named  after  Rev.  Dr.  Newman — extended 
to  the  highland  eastward  and  southward  of  tluit  position  about  fifteen 
miles,  making  the  extent  of  Newman  Bay.  from  its  headland  or  cape,  full 
thirty  miles. 

The  south  cape  is  a  high,  l)old,  and  noble  headland.  I  have  named  it 
Sumner  Headland,  after  Hon.  Charles  Sumner,  the  orator  and  United  States 
Senator;  and  the  north  cape,  Brevoort  Cape,  after  J.  Carson  Brevoort,  a 
strong  friend  to  Arctic  discoveries. 

On  arriving  here  we  found  the  mouth  of  Newman  Bay  open  water,  liav- 
ing  numerous  seals  in  it,  bol)bing  up  their  heads;  this  open  water  nmking 
close  both  to  Sumner  Headland  and  Cape  Brevoort,  and  the  ice  of  Robeson 
Strait  on  the  move,  thus  debarring  all  possible  chance  of  extending  our 
journey  on  the  ice  up  the  strait. 


424:  AITKXDIX. 

Tlio  mountainous  land  (nont-  otiicr  alxnit  hcrci  will  not  admit  of  our 
journcyinir  farther  north  :  and  as  the  timi-  of  our  expected  alKcncc  was  un- 
derstood to  he  for  two  weeks,  we  eomnienei!  our  I'eturn  to-morrow  mornintr. 
To-day  we  are  storm-hound  to  this  our  sixth  eneamitnient. 

From  ("ape  Brovoort  we  ean  see  land  extendin<f  on  the  west  si(h'  of  tlie 
strait  t(>  tiic  north  22"^  W.,  anil  distant  aliout  seventy  miles,  thus  makinj; 
land  we  dixover  as  far  as  hit.  8:^  •>'  X. 

There  is  appearanee  of  land  farther  north,  and  extendiiit;  more  easterly 
than  what  I  have  Just  noted,  hut  a  peeuliar.  dark  nimhus  cloud  that  con- 
stantly liantrs  over  what  seems  may  he  land  prevents  my  makini;  a  full  de- 
termination. 

On  Auitust  ;50  the  Pulnvix  made  her  greatest  northing,  lat.  H2-  2(t'  N. ; 
but  after  several  attempts  to  get  her  farther  north  she  became  beset,  when 
we  were  di-ifteddown  to  about  lat.  HI'  :>0'.  AVhen  an  opening  occurred, we 
steamed  out  of  the  pack  and  made  harbor  September  :>,  where  the  I'ulnris 
is.     [Corner  of  the  manuscript  here  burned  oft'.  | 

Up  to  the  time  I  and  my  party  left  the  shi])  all  have  been  well,  and  con- 
tinue wi'.h  high  hopes  of  accomplishing  our  great  mission. 

We  find  this  a  much  warmer  country  tlian  we  exjieeted.  Fmm  Cape 
Alexander  the  mountains  on  eitiier  side  of  the  Kennedy  Channel  and  Uol>c- 
son  Strait  we  found  entirely  bare  of  snow  and  ice.  with  the  exception  of  a 
glacier  that  we  saw,  covering  al)out  lat.  SO'  '.W  east  side  the  strait,  and  ex- 
tending east-north-east  direction  as  far  as  can  be  seen  from  the  mountains 
by  Polaris  Bay. 

We  have  found  that  the  country  abounds  with  life — seals,  game,  geese. 
ilucks,  nuisk  -  cattle,  rabbits,  wolves,  foxes,  bears,  partridges,  lenunings, 
etc.  Our  sealers  have  shot  two  seals  in  the  open  water  while  at  this  en- 
campment. Our  long  Arctic  niglit  commenced  Oct.)ber  1:5,  having  seen 
(mly  the  upper  limb  of  the  sun  above  the  glacier  at  meridian,  ()ctol)er  12. 
This  dispatch  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  I  fin'.shed  this  moment.  8.23 
P.M.,  having  written  it  in  ink  in  our  snow-hut,  the  thermometer  outside 
— 7=.  Yesterday  all  day  the  thermometer  —20'  to  2:p ;  that  is,  —"^0^  to 
—33°  Fahrenheit. 

[Copy  of  dispatch  placed  in  pillar.  Brevoort  Cape,  October  21, 1871.] 


To  the  Hon.  Charles  P.  D.\ly.  Pvexitlent  of  the  American  Oeogrnphical 

ISocitty. 

Washington.  April  9, 1S71. 
Dear  Sir, — Continued  occupation  since  my  return  has  prevented  me 
from  giving  you,  as  you  re(|uested.  an  account  in  detail  of  what  I  have  ob- 
served in  respect  to  the  geography  of  tlu;  xVrctic  regions. 

With  my  first  voyage  you  are  sufficiently  familiar,  and  I  have  nothing  to 
add  to  what  is  contained  in  the  volume  ])ul)lished  l)y  the  Harpers.  During 
ihe  last  five  years  that  I  have  spent  in  the  Arctic  regions  I  availed  myself 
of  every  opportunity  afforded  me  for  accurate  observation,  and  I  give  you 
the  I'esults. 


Ari'ENDix.  425 

You  will  rcnipmber  that  Waucr  R;iy  is  an  old  <li«covcry  of  MiddlctonV 
in  l~4'2.  when  lif  was  in  search  of  a  iiortli-wcst  jiassajjic.  The  ijciicral  out- 
line or  rouLch  sketch  then  made  n mains  unimproved  to  the  j)resent  day.  I 
explored  this  inlet  for  sixty  miles,  up  and  down,  to  its junction  with  Howe 
Weleome,  anil  made  -i  series  of  oliservatiuns  from  astronomically  tleter- 
mined  positions. 

Repulse  Hay.  though  visited  l>y  Middleton,  and  afterward  Iiy  I*arry  and 
by  Hae,  still  remains  hut  imperfectly  <letined.  1  have  from  my  own  olxerva- 
tions  the  data  for  a  more  accurate  delineation  of  the  outline  of  this  iiay.  I 
discovered  and  surveyed  a  new  inlet,  in  lat.  (»7  N..  hmg.  H4"  -W  \\..:i  few 
miles  north  of  Norman  Creek,  of  which  it  may  lie  saiii  to  he  a  cc)unt<'rpart. 
running  from  Lyon  Inlet  to  the  eastward.  I  may  he  excused  for  expre»ing 
to  y<m  the  <fratitieation  I  lilt  in  making  this  discovery.  rememherinLT  that 
Parry,  in  \^'i\,  when  exi)lorini>-  and  surveying  the  opening  to  which  he 
gave  the  name  of  Lyon  Iidet.  determined,  as  he  says  in  his  narrative,  to 
leave  no  opening  or  arm  unvisited;  and  yet.  with  all  his  care,  and  the  aid 
of  his  ()ttic(vs  ami  four  lioats'  crews,  he  overlooked  the  new  inlet  I  found, 
from  the  I'aet  that  a  liiu'h  island  shut  out  from  his  view  the  entrance  to  it. 

I  discovered  a  hay  on  the  west  side  of  Fox  C'iiamiel.  lat.  <j',l  \  long.  SI'  :>(»' 
\V'..  which  makes  west-south-west  for  lith-en  miles.  This  Parry  also  missed, 
which  is  not  remarkahle  when  we  consider  that  his  was  a  marine  survey, 
along  the  west  side  of  Fox  Channel  to  Igloolik,  an  island  near  the  eastern 
eml  of  Fury  and  Ilecla  Strait. 

I  discovered  an  important  lake,  twenty-five  miles  in  length,  in  lat.  08^  4.'>' 
N.,  lonijf.  H"'^  W.  I  call  it  important,  as  it  abounds  in  salmon  of  large  size 
— some  being  six  feet  in  length.  It  contains  also  many  other  species  of 
fish,  s<mie  of  which,  1  think,  have  been  hitherto  unknown.  Also  anoihei 
lake,  lat.  (liP  li")'  \..  runninu'  ])arallel  with  Fury  and  Ilecla  Straii.  atiout 
fifty  miles  in  leiigth.  It  has  two  outlets.  I  followed  up  Crozier  Hiver.  t!se 
mouth  of  which  Parry  ilisci>vered.  and  found  its  source  to  be  the  lake  de- 
scribed. At  the  west  end  of  the  lake  is  another  outlet,  forming  a  river, 
which  I  followed  down  to  the  Gulf  of  Boothia,  where  the  river  diM-liarges 
itself  into  a  fine  bay — another  discovery. 

It  fell  to  my  lot,  also,  to  ascertain  the  nortu-westcrn  part  of  Melville  Pen- 
insula, at  and  below  the  western  outlets  of  Fury  .and  Ilecla  Strait,  which 
may  be  said  to  eomi)lete  the  discovery  of  the  American  continent. 

I  discovered  a  long  island,  lying  to  the  north-west  and  westward  of  the 
western  outlet  of  Fury  and  Ileela  Strait,  and  also  ihe  coast  of  the  main-land 
<m  the  north  side  of  the  above-mentioned  outlet  of  the  strait:  and  I  found 
that  the  "Jesse  Isle"  laid  down  and  so  named  on  Dr.  Hae"s  chart,  at  the 
north  of  Parry  Ray.  lat.  (>9°  W.  long.  85    10  .  is  not  there. 

Although  Parry  had  his  vessels,  the  Furl/  .and  the  Iff  r/a.  near  to  Amherst 
Island,  in  1K22.  and  sent  out  from  there  exploring  and  surveying  ))arties. 
directing  them  to  search,  if  possible,  for  the  western  outlet  of  Fury  and 
Ilecla  Strait,  they  were  unable  to  find  it.  In  the  following  spring.  1823, 
while  his  vessels  were  in  harbor  at  Igloolik  Island,  lat.  (59  21  N.,  long.  82^ 
W.,  Lyon,  Parry's  associate,  undertook  to  reach  the  western  outlet  of  the 


426  AITENDIX. 

>tr:iit  l>y  means  of  sldlircs  and  do'.'s;  hut.  after  journcyinjr  for  nineteen 
(lays,  he  I'ailctl  to  aceoniplisli  it.  In  IslT  Dr.  Kac  left  liis  lieud-(|Uarters  at 
fort  lIo|ic.  at  the  lieail  of  I{e|>iilse  IJay.  witii  tiie  intention  of  reachiiiL;'  the 
outlet  of  Fury  and  Hecla  Strait:  l»ut  before  lie  eould  i^et  there  his  provis- 
ions ;rave  out.  and  lie  was  eoinpelh'd  to  turn  haek.  I  hail  some  reason, 
tlierefore.  to  feel  L5ratitie<l  when  I  found  myself  traversinj;'  the  very  region 
that  sueli  intrepid  explorers  as  Parry.  Lyon,  and  IJae  had  attempt* d  to  reaeh 
in  vain. 

'I'he  next  impoitant  e(Uitril>utioii  to  fieoiirapliy  was  my  discoverinir  an 
importai.t  i>iainl  north  of  Ormond  I>land,  at  the  east  end  of  Fury  and 
lleela  Strait.  What  I'arry  has  put  down  upon  his  chart  as  the  maindand 
north  of  Ormond  Island  is,  an  island,  hut  somewhat  less  in  size  than  Or- 
mond I>land. 

I  think  that  if  Parry  had  known  of  the  existenee  of  the  channel  whieli  is 
on  the  north  >iile  of  the  new  i>!ainl  that  I  refer  to.  he  would  have  suecoetl- 
ed  in  ^'ettinu'  Ids  vessels  mueli  farther  to  the  westward  in  tlie  strait  than  he 
did.  15y  par-iiiix  ihrouirh  this  new  eiiannel.  ami  l)y  kecpini:  close  to  the 
land  on  the  north  side  of  the  .strait.  Fury  and  llccla  Strait,  like  the  ])assage 
leadinu  into  Waiter  Bay,  and  like  the  Hudson  Strait,  in  the  navi<iai)le  seu- 
.son.  may  he  penetrated  l>y  keeping  on  the  north  side,  while  the  opposite  or 
south  side  is  iiicumhered  by  heavy  ice. 

From  intelliui'Ut  Ksi|iHmaux  whom  I  met  at  Ii,doolik,  T  olitaineil  informa- 
tion al)out,  and  sketches  of  the  west  const  of  Fox's  Farthest,  lat.  (JU' oO' N.. 
up  to  what  Parry  calls  ".Murray  Maxwell  Inlet,"  whit'h  is  iica:  the  east  end 
of  Fury  anil  11  'cht  Stra-*^  Murray  Maxwell  liUet  is  in  reality  a  sound,  or 
strait,  that  swti-p-:  around  to  the  eastward,  formini;  a  large  island.  If  you 
take  your  pen<'il.  iind  continue  the  so-called  Murray  Maxwell  Iidet  to  the 
eastward,  and  to  the  blank  in  Parry's  chart,  you  will  have  the  delineation 
of  the  i>land  that  is  there.  To  the  eastward  of  the  (althorpe  Isles  and 
('apt  Konii:  you  will  find  the  broken  liiK's  of  the  land  that  Parry  discov- 
ered. He  could  not  determine  whether  it  consisted  of  islands,  or  formed  a 
part  of  the  main-land.  From  the  Ksipiimatix  who  had  been  there  I  learned 
that  it  consisted  of  two  islands.  The  nearest  approach  I  made  to  them  was 
on  my  visir  to  Fern  Island,  which  you  will  tind  upon  Parry's  cli.irt,  at- 
tached to  the  narrative  of  his  second  voyatre. 

At  iLrloolik  I  met  Es(|uimaux  who  were  natives  of  Cumberland  Sound, 
sometimes  called  Cum))erland  Inlet,  which  you  know  is  on  the  west  .side  of 
Davis  Strait,  above  Frobi:;|ier  Bay.  These  natives  made  their  way  to  Igloo- 
lik  by  first  making  a  portage  froin  ('umberland  S>!und  to  a  large  lake,  called 
upon  the  charts  Kennedy  Lake,  and  which.  1)y-t1ie-way.  I  may  remark,  no 
white  man  has  ever  yet  seen,  and  then  launching  their  oomiaks  (women's 
boats)  upon  the  lake,  which  they  traversed  westwaril.  entering  a  large  riv- 
er, and  drifting  down  it  with  a  swift  current  to  Fox's  Farthest,  where  the 
river  enters  the  sea.  From  there  tliev  turned  north,  and  coasted  alon«r  up 
to  the  ('althoq)e  Isles,  and  from  there  crossed  over  to  Tgloolik. 

From  Esipiimaux  at  Igloolik  I  also  obtained  important  information  of  a 
new  bay,  that  will  not  only  be  of  interest  to  geographers,  but  must,  I  think, 


APPENDIX.  427 

cvontually  lie  of  trroat  valuo  to  our  coiimiciTc.  The  cntnmoo  to  tliis  Imy  has 
only  Iji'on  .seen,  and  is  hidic-uted  upon  the  Arctic  charts  as  Adniiraity  Inh-t. 
NotiiinjT  has  been  known,  liowover.  by  civili/ed  man  of  tliis  bay  or  of  its 
character.  The  entrance  is  from  Barrow  Strait,  hit.  7:^  4:}'  N.,  lont;-.  8:}'  W.. 
ami  the  !)ay  extends  very  nearly  in  a  southern  direction  to  about  71^  N.  lat. 
Tlie  west  side  |east  '.\  has  a  coa.-t-line  rm  a  i,n-adual  curve  from  JJarrow  Strait 
to  near  its  limit  —  tlie  concave  on  tlie  east,  wliile  tiie  west  side  has  many 
bays,  or  h'ords,  witli  some  aood  harbors  in  them.  Tlie  bay  is  free  from  ice 
every  summer,  and  none  of  the  ice  from  Barro\\  Strait  ever  tiiuls  its  way  into 
it.  Tills  bay  abounds  in  whales  {Bahina  mysitieetm,  or  smooth-l)ack,  the 
n.ost  im))ortant  to  civilized  man),  in  narwhals  (the  sea-unicorn),  and  in 
seals.  So  a!)uudant  are  the  whales  that  the  natives  sometimes  kill,  in  their 
rude  way,  as  many  as  five  largo  ones  in  a  few  days. 

The  information  which  I  derived  from  the  Esquimaux  has  convinced  nie 
that  this  new  bay  will  prove  as  valuable  to  whalers  as  ('innl)erland  Sound. 
From  l!S40  to  tiie  present  time  the  product  of  whalebone  and  oil  from 
Cumberland  Sound,  by  English  and  American  waalers,  has  amounted  to 
!{!  15,000. 000;  and  as  the  are:  jf  the  whale-fishery  is  gradually  diminish- 
ing, tlie  fact  of  the  existence  of  this  bay  I  regard  as  of  great  value,  as  open- 
ing up  a  new  ground  for  tho  prosecution  of  this  important  industry. 

I  also  obtained  valuable  information  from  the  Esquimaux  at  Igloolik  re- 
specting Pond  Bay,  the  western  prolongation  of  which  u])on  our  jiresi'Ut 
Arctic  charts  is  miscalled  Ecli])se  Sound.  If  the  testimony  of  the  Esqui- 
maux can  be  relied  on — and  1  place  the  fullest  confidence  in  it — Pond  Bay 
terminates  in  long.  81^  W.  (approximately) :  and  the  representation  upon 
the  Arctic  charts  of  a  strait  from  Pond  Bay  to  Prince  Regent  Inlet,  on  the 
northern  ])art  of  the  Gulf  of  Boothia,  is  erroneous. 

It  has  been  the  supposition  of  geographers  that  Davis  Strait  and  Baffin 
Bay  are  connected  with  Fox  Channel  by  straits.  This  is  not  the  fact.  All 
the  intelligent  Esquimaux  that  I  have  met  in  my  two  voyages  assert  that 
the  land  bounded  on  the  north  by  Barrow  Strait,  upon  the  east  by  Baffin 
Bay.  and  Davis  Strait,  on  the  south  l)y  Hudson  Strait,  and  on  the  west  l)y 
Fox  Channel  and  Prince  Regent  Inlet,  is  one  land,  or  one  great  island. 
They  know  of  a  much  smaller  island  that  has  Pond  Bay  on  its  south  side, 
Navy  Board  Inlet,  or  more  properly  strait,  on  its  west,  Lancaster  Sound 
on  its  north,  and  Baffin  Sea  on  its  east  side. 

My  other  contril)utions  to  geography  are,  that  Dr.  Rae's  Colville  Bay,  in 
lat.  &%°  X.,  long.  88°  20',  is  not  a  bay,  but  very  low  land  ;  that  his  Grinnell 
Lake  and  Sim^json  Lake,  which  he  delineates  as  one  continuous  lake,  are 
in  fact  three  distinct  lakes;  and,  lastl\%  that  his  Shej)herd  Bay  extends 
northerly  about  twelve  miles  beyond  the  limit  he  lias  assigned  to  it. 

This,  my  dear  sir,  embraces  all  I  have  to  communicate.  You  will  reinem- 
!)er  that  I  went  out  with  very  limited  resources,  and  was  more  circumscribetl 
for  the  want  of  means  than  almost  any  Arctic  explorer.  Should  I  again  go 
out,  as  I  trust  to  do,  I  hope  to  extend  the  rrea  of  geographical  discovery, 
an<I  accomplish  something  that  may  redound  to  the  credit  of  our  conunon 
country.     Very  respectfully  yours,  C.  F.  II.vll. 


428  APPENDIX. 

Art  Authorizing  ^'orfh  Puhir  Expedition. 

Under  a  poncral  a])propri!iti()n  ac-t  "tor  the  y<'ar  cndinir  tlio  tliirtictli 
f)f.Tun(',  citrlitccii  liundicd  ami  seventy-one,"  we  tind  t]ie  CoiiLrressionid  au- 
thority for  tlie  outtit  oftlie  '■  Umtkd  8tatks  Nohtii  Polai:   KxPKnrrioN." 

"Skc.  !>.  A  till  he  it  further  enacted,  That  the  President  of  the  United 
States  be  autliorized  to  or<j:ani/.e  and  send  out  one  or  more  expeilitions 
toward  the  Nortli  Pole,  and  to  appoint  sueli  person  or  persons  as  he  may 
deem  most  fitted  to  the  command  tliereof;  to  detail  any  otHe;.'r  of  the  piih- 
lic  service  to  take  part  in  the  same,  and  to  use  any  public  vessel  that  may 
l)e  suital>le  for  the  purpose;  tlie  scientific  operaticms  of  the  e.\pediti(ms  to 
be  ])reseribid  in  acconhince  with  the  advice  of  the  National  Acudemy  of 
Sciences;  and  that  the  sum  of  fifty  tiiousand  dollars,  or  such  part  tliereof 
as  may  be  necessary,  be  hereby  a])proi)riated  out  of  any  moneys  in  the 
treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated,  to  be  expended  under  the  direction 
of  the  President." 


Instructions  to  Captain  C.  F.  Hall,  Commander  of  the  United  States  North 

Polar  Expedition. 

Navy  Department,  .Tune  9, 1S71. 
Sir. — Having  been  appointed  l)^^  the  President  of  the  United  States 
commander  of  the  cxpcditicm  toward  the  North  Pole,  and  tlie  steamshij) 
Polaris  having  been  fitted,  equ'pped,  provisioned,  and  assigned  for  tlie 
purpose;  you  are  placed  in  commanil  of  the  said  vessel,  her  officers,  and 
crew,  for  the  purposes  of  t;ie  said  expedition.  Having  taken  command, 
you  will  proceed  in  the  vessel,  at  the  earliest  possible  date,  from  the  Niivy 
Yard  in  this  city  to  New  York.  From  New  York  you  will  proceed  to  the 
first  favorable  port  you  are  able  to  make  on  the  west  coast  of  Greenland, 
stopj)ing,  if  you  deem  it  desirable,  at  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland.  From  the 
first  port  made  by  you  on  the  west  coast  of  Greenland,  if  farther  south  than 
Holsteinborg,  you  will  proceed  to  that  port,  and  thence  to  Goodhavn  (or 
Lively),  in  the  island  of  13iseo.  At  some  one  of  the  ports  al)ove  referred  to 
you  will  probably  meet  a  transport,  sent  by  the  Department,  with  addition- 
al coal  and  stores,  from  which  you  will  siijiply  yourself  to  the  fullest  carry- 
ing capacity  of  the  Polaris.  Should  you  fall  in  with  the  transport  before 
making  either  of  the  ports  aforesaid,  or  should  you  obtain  information  of 
her  being  at,  or  having  landed  her  stores  at,  any  port  south  of  the  island 
of  Disco,  you  will  at  once  proceed  to  put  yourself  in  communicatio  i  with 
the  commander  of  the  transport,  and  supply  yourself  with  the  adciitional 
stores  and  coal,  taking  such  measures  as  may  be  most  expedient  and  con- 
venient for  that  iKirpose.  Should  you  not  hear  of  the  transport  before 
reaching  Holsteinborg,  you  will  remain  at  that  port,  waiting  for  her  and 
your  supplies  as  long  as  the  object  of  your  expedition  will  permit  you  to 
delay  for  that  purpose.  After  waiting  as  long  as  is  safe,  under  all  the  cir- 
cumstances as  they  may  present  tl'eniselves,  you  will,  if  you  do  not  hear  of 
the  transport,  proceed  to  Disco,  as  above  provided.     At  Disco,  if  you  hear 


ArrKNDix.  429 

notliiiifij  of  the  transport,  yoii  will.  al'tiT  waitinii  as  lone  as  yoii  deem  it 
.safe,  sujiply  yourself,  as  far  as  you  may  be  alile.  with  such  supplies  and  ar- 
ticles as  yoii  may  neeil.  and  proceed  on  your  expcvlition  without  further  de- 
lay. From  I)isc<i  you  will  proceed  to  Upernavik.  At  these  two  last-named 
places  you  will  procure  doys  and  other  Arctic  outfits.  If  you  think  it  of 
advantai^e  tor  the  purj)osc  of  oi»taining  dogs,  etc.,  to  stoj)  at  Tos>ae.  you 
will  do  so.  From  Ui)ernavik,  or  Tossac,  as  the  case  may  he.  you  will  pro- 
ceed across  ^lelville  Bay  to  Cape  Dudley  Digtres.  and  tlienee  you  will  make 
all  possible  progress,  with  vessels,  boats,  and  sledges,  toward  the  North 
Pole,  using  your  own  judgment  as  to  the  route  or  routes  to  be  pursued  and 
the  locality  for  each  winter's  (juarters.  Having  been  provisioned  and  equij)- 
ped  for  two  and  a  half  years,  yon  will  ])ursue  your  exjjlorations  for  that 
perioil ;  but,  shouUl  the  object  of  the  e,\j)edition  recjuire  it.  yon  will  con- 
tinue your  explorations  to  such  a  furtlier  lengtli  of  time  as  your  su2iplie.s  may 
be  safely  extended.  Should,  however,  the  main  object  of  the  ex])edition. 
viz..  attaining  the  position  of  the  North  J'ole,  be  accompli^hed  at  an  earlier 
period,  you  will  return  to  the  United  States  with  all  convenient  dispatch. 

There  Ijeing  attaelied  to  tlie  expeilition  a  Scientific  Department,  its  oper- 
ations are  prescriijed  in  accordance  with  tlie  ailvice  of  the  National  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences,  as  required  l)y  the  law.  Agreeably  to  this  advice,  the 
charge  and  direction  of  tlie  scientific  operations  will  be  intrusted,  nnder 
your  connnund.  to  Dr.  Emll  Bessel ;  and  you  will  render  Dr.  TJessel  and  his 
assistants  all  such  facilities  and  aiils  as  may  be  in  your  power,  to  carry  into 
effect  the  said  further  advice,  as  given  in  the  instructicms  herewith  furnish- 
ed in  a  communication  from  the  President  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sci- 
ences. It  is,  however,  im])ortant  that  objects  of  natural  history,  ethnology, 
etc.,  etc.,  which  may  be  collected  by  any  person  attached  to  the  expedition, 
shall  be  delivered  to  the  cliief  of  the  Scientific  Department,  to  be  cared  for 
by  him,  under  your  direction,  and  considered  the  property  of  the  Govern- 
ment; and  every  person  be  strictly  proliibited  from  Ivceping  any  sudi  ob- 
ject. You  will  tliivet  every  qualified  person  in  the  expedition  to  keep  a 
private  journal  of  tlie  jirogress  of  the  exjiedition.  and  enter  on  it  events,  ob- 
servations, and  remarks,  of  any  nature  whatsoever.  These  journals  shall  be 
considered  confidential,  and  read  )jy  no  person  other  than  the  writer.  Of 
tliese  journals  no  copy  shall  be  made.  Upon  the  return  of  the  exj)edition 
you  will  demand  of  each  of  the  writers  his  journal,  which  it  is  hereby  or- 
dered he  shall  deliver  to  you.  Each  writer  is  to  be  assured  tliat  when  the 
records  of  the  expedition  are  published  he  shall  receive  a  copy;  the  private 
journals  to  ])c  returned  to  the  writer,  or  not,  at  the  option  of  the  Govern- 
ment ;  but  each  writer,  in  the  pul)lislied  records,  shall  receive  credit  for 
such  part  or  parts  of  his  journal  as  may  be  used  in  said  records.  You  will 
use  evci7  opportunity  to  determine  the  position  of  all  capes,  headlands,  isl- 
ands, etc.,  the  lines  of  coasts,  take  soundings,  observe  tides  and  currents, 
and  make  all  such  surveys  as  may  advance  our  knowledge  of  the  geogra- 
phy of  the  Arctic  regions. 

You  will  give  special  written  directions  to  the  sailing  and  ice  master  of 
the  expedition,  Mr.  S.  O.  Buddington,  and  to  the  chief  of  the  Scientific  De- 


430  AIM'KNDIX. 

partinciit.  Dr.  E.  HcsscI,  t)i;il  in  case  of  your  ilcalli  or  disaliilitv — a  contin- 
gency we  sincerely  trnst  may  not  arise — tliey  shall  consult  as  to  the  propri- 
ety and  manner  of  carrying  into  further  effect  the  forei,'oin<f  instructions, 
which  I  licrc  urge  must,  if  ])ossilile.  be  done.  The  results  of  their  <;onsulta- 
tions,  and  the  reasons  therefor,  must  he  |)Ut  in  writing,  and  kejjt  as  part 
of  the  records  of  the  expedition.  In  any  event,  however,  Mr.  IJudiiington 
shall,  ill  case  of  your  death,  or  disaliilitv,  continue  as  tlie  sailing  and  ice 
master,  and  control  and  direct  the  movements  of  the  vessel;  and  Dr.  Hessel 
shall,  in  such  caie,  continue  as,  chief  of  the  Scientific  Department,  directing 
all  sleilge-journeys  and  scientitic  operations.  In  the  possible  contimicncy 
of  their  non-agreement  as  to  tlie  course  to  he  pursued,  then  .Mr.  Hudiliugtoii 
shall  assume  sole  charge  and  conunund.  and  return  with  the  e.\j)edition  to 
the  United  States  with  all  possible  dispatch. 

You  will  transmit  to  this  Department,  as  often  as  opportunity  offers,  re- 
ports of  your  progress  and  results  of  your  search,  detailing  the  route  of 
your  proposed  advance.  At  the  most  prominent  points  of  your  progress 
you  will  erect  conspicuous  skeleton  stone  monuments,  depositing  near  each. 
in  accortlance  with  tlie  contidential  marks  agreed  upon,  a  condensed  rec- 
ord of  your  progress,  with  a  description  of  the  route  upon  wliicli  you  pro- 
pose to  advance,  making  cachea  of  provisions,  etc..  if  you  deem  iit. 

In  the  event  of  the  necessity  for  finally  abandoning  your  vosel.  you  will 
at  once  endeavor  to  reach  localities  freipiented  by  whaling  or  other  ships, 
making  every  exertion  to  send  to  the  United  States  information  of  your 
jiosition  and  situation,  and,  as  soon  as  jiossible,  to  return  with  your  party, 
preserving,  as  far  as  may  Ijc,  the  reeoiils  of.  ami  all  pos:~ilile  objects  and 
sjjccimens  collected  in.  the  expedition. 

All  persons  attached  to  the  exjiedition  are  under  your  coninian<l.  and 
shall,  uniier  every  circumstance  and  conditio]  Iw  subject  to  the  rules,  regu- 
lations, and  laws  governing  the  discipline  ,)i  ;lie  navy,  to  ))e  modified,  but 
not  increased,  by  you  as  t)ie  circumstances  <\ui\  in  your  judgment  recpiire. 

To  keep  the  (Jovernment  as  well  informed  as  possible  of  your  progress, 
you  will,  after  passing  (.'ape  Dudley  Digges,  throw  over! loaixl  daily,  as  open 
water  or  drifting  ice  may  permit,  a  bottle,  or  small  copper  cylinder,  closely 
sealed,  containing  a  paper,  stating  ilate.  position,  and  such  other  facts  as 
yon  may  deem  interesting.  For  this  purpose  you  will  have  prepared  pa- 
pers containing  a  ri'fiuest.  jirinted  in  several  languages,  that  the  finder  trans- 
mit it  by  the  most  direct  route  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Washington, 
United  States  of  America. 

Upon  tlic  return  of  the  ex2)edition  to  the  United  States,  you  will  trans- 
mit your  own  and  all  other  records  to  the  Department.  You  will  direct 
Dr.  Bessel  to  transmit  all  the  scientific  records  and  collections  to  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution,  Washington. 

The  history  of  the  expedition  will  be  prepared  by  yourself,  from  all  the 
journals  and  records  of  the  expedition,  under  the  supervision  of  the  De- 
partment. All  the  records  of  the  scientitic  results  of  the  expedition  Avill  be 
prepared,  supervised,  and  edited  by  Dr.  Bessel,  under  the  direction  and 
authority  of  the  President  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences. 


Al'l'ENDIX.  431 

Wishing  for  you  and  your  brave  comrades  hcaltli.  liappinoss,  and  success 
in  your  dariuir  intcrprisc,  and  coninicndini;  you  and  tlicin  to  tla-  protecting 
care  of  the  (Jod  who  rules  tlie  universe, 

1  :ini,  very  respectfully,  yours,  Geo.  M.  Kotjeson, 

Secretary  uf  the  Navy. 
CuAS.  F.  IIai.i.,  <  'ommanding  Espeditiou  toward  the  Xorth  I'ole. 


Lftter  of  Prnfemnr  Joseph   IIenuy  {PveMent  of  the  Nationnl  Ai^oiJoni/  of 
iSeieiicct),  with  Instructions  fur  the  ^eitntijic  Ojierutions  of  the  L'.qudition. 

Wiishiiii-'toD,  D.C,  June  i>,  1S71. 

Sir. — In  acconhmce  with  the  law  of  ('ongress  autlii)rizing  tlie  exi)edition 
for  explorations  within  the  Arctic  circle,  the  scientific  operations  are  to  be 
preseritied  l)y  the  National  Academy;  and  in  behalf  of  this  society  I  re- 
spectfully submit  the  following  remarks  and  suggestions: 

The  appropriation  for  this  exjudition  was  granted  by  Congress  princi- 
pally on  account  of  the  representations  of  Captain  Hail  antl  liis  friends  as 
to  the  possibility  of  improving  our  knowledge  of  the  geography  of  the  re- 
gions beyond  the  eightieth  cU'gree  of  north  latitude,  and  more  especially  of 
reaching  the  ]h>\c.  Probably  on  this  account  and  that  of  the  experience 
which  Captain  Hall  had  accjuired  by  seven  years"  residence  in  the  Arctic  re- 
yions.  he  was  appointed  by  tlie  President  as  commande-  of  tlie  expedition. 

In  order  that  Captain  Hail  might  have  full  opportu  lity  to  arrange  his 
plans,  anil  that  no  impediments  should  be  put  in  the  way  of  their  execu- 
tion, it  was  proper  that  he  should  have  the  organization  of  the  expedition 
and  the  si'lection  of  his  assistants.  These  privileges  having  been  granted 
him.  Captain  Hall  early  appointed,  as  the  sailing-imistcr  of  the  expedition, 
his  friend  and  Ibrmer  fellow-voyager  in  the  Arctic  zone,  Captain  Budding- 
ton,  who  has  spent  twenty-tive  year.-'  amidst  Polar  ice;  and  for  the  sub- 
ordinate positions,  persons  selected  especially  for  their  experience  of  life  in 
the  same  regions. 

It  is  evident  from  tlie  foregoing  statement  that  the  expedition,  except  in 
its  relations  to  geograjjhical  discovery,  is  not  of  a  scientific  character,  and 
to  connect  with  it  a  full  corps  of  scientific  observers,  wliose  duty  it  sliould 
l)e  to  make  minute  investigations  relative  to  the  physics  of  the  globe,  and 
to  afford  them  such  facilities  with  regard  to  time  and  position  as  would  be 
necessary  to  the  full  success  of  the  object  of  their  org.inization.  would  ma- 
terially interfere  with  the  views  entertained  bv  Captain  Hall,  and  the  pur- 
pose for  which  the  appropriation  was  evidently  intended  by  Congress. 

Although  the  special  objects  and  peculiar  organization  of  this  expedition 
are  not  primarily  of  a  scientific  character,  yet  many  phenomena  may  be  ob- 
served and  specimens  of  natural  history  be  incidentally  collected,  particularly 
tluring  the  long  winter  jieriods  in  which  the  vessel  must  necessarily  remain 
stationary;  and  therefore,  in  order  that  the  opportunity  of  obtaining  such 
results  might  not  be  lost,  a  committee  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences 
was  appointed  to  prepare  a  series  of  instructions  on  the  different  branches 
of  physics  and  natmal  liistory,  and  to  render  assistance  in  procuring  the 
scientific  outfit. 


4;32  Ai'i'KXDix. 

(Jri'at  ilinittilty  was  met  wiili  in  ohtaiiiiiii^  inon  of  tlic  jiroper  scioiitifir 
a((]uiriiiHiits  to  tiiihark  in  an  cntcriirisc  wliicli  must  necissarily  l>e  attend- 
ed witli  niiicii  privation,  ami  in  whicli,  in  a  nieasun',  siicnce  must  be  sub- 
ordinate. This  ditVicuity  was,  however,  hapjiily  olniated  \>\  the  offer  of  an 
aceomi)li>lied  phy.-ieist  and  naturalist,  Dr.  K.  iJessel,  of  Ileiilellieru'.  to  taiie 
charire  of  tlie  seientilic  operations,  with  sucii  a-'xistanee  as  could  be  afforded 
]iim  liy  twtj  or  three  intellii,''ent  youuLT  iii«'U  that  iniuht  lie  trained  for  the 
serviee.  Dr.  Bessel  was  the  seientifie  direelor  of  the  German  e.xjiedition  to 
Spitzlieri,'en  anil  Nova  Zembla,  in  1S(»!),  durinjj  which  he  made,  for  tlie  first 
time,  a  most  interesting  series  of  ol'servations  on  the  depths  and  currents 
of  the  adjacent  seas.  From  his  character,  aecjuirements,  and  entliusiasm  in 
the  cause  of  science,  he  is  ailmiraiily  well  (jualitieil  for  the  arduous  and  la- 
borious otHce  for  which  he  is  a  volunteer.  The  most  important  of  the  as- 
sistants was  one  to  lie  intrusted,  under  Dr.  Bessel,  with  the  astronomical  and 
niauiietic  observations,  and  such  a  one  has  been  found  in  tlii'  person  of  .Mr. 
Bryan,  a  <rnuluate  at  Lafayette  College,  at  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  who,  under 
the  direction  of  Professor  Hilgia'd,  has  received  from  3Ir.  Schott  and  3Ir. 
Keith,  of  the  Coast  Survey,  practical  instructions  in  the  use  of  the  instru- 
ments. 

The  Academy  would,  therefore,  earnestly  recommend,  as  an  essential  con- 
dition of  the  success  of  the  objects  in  which  it  is  interested,  that  Dr.  Bessel  be 
ap])ointed  as  sole  director  of  the  seientilic  operations  of  the  e.\j)etlition.  antl 
that  Captain  Hall  be  instructed  to  atibrd  him  sucli  facilities  antl  assistance 
us  may  lie  necessary  for  the  special  objects  under  his  charijrc.  and  which  are 
not  incomi)atible  with  the  })rominent  idea  of  the  original  enterprise. 

As  to  tlie  route  to  be  pursued  with  the  greatest  probability  of  reacliing 
the  i)()le,  either  to  the  east  or  west  of  Greenland,  the  Academy  foibears  to 
make  any  sug:;restions.  Captain  Hall  having  definitely  concluded  that  the 
route  through  Bathn  Bay.  the  one  with  which  he  is  most  familiar,  is  tliat  to 
l»c  adopted.  One  point,  however,  should  be  specially  urged  upon  Captain 
Ilall.  nanuiy,  the  determination  with  the  utmost  scientific  prccisiim  possi- 
ble of  all  his  geogra])liical  positions,  ami  especially  of  the  ultimate  northern 
limit  which  lie  attains.  The  evidence  of  the  genuineness  of  every  deter- 
mination of  this  kind  should  1)e  made  ajiparent  beyond  all  (luestion. 

On  the  return  of  the  expedititm,  the  collections  which  may  be  made  in 
natural  history,  etc.,  ■will,  in  accordance  with  a  law  of  Congress,  be  depos- 
ited in  the  National  ^luseum,  under  the  care  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution : 
and  we  would  sug<rest  that  the  scientific  records  be  discussed  and  prejiared 
for  publication  by  Dr.  Bessel,  with  such  assistance  as  he  may  require,  under 
the  direction  of  the  National  Academy.  The  imiiortance  of  refusing  to  al- 
low journals  to  be  kept  exclusively  for  private  use,  or  collections  to  be  made 
other  than  those  belonging  to  the  exiiedition,  is  too  obvious  to  need  special 
suggestion. 

In  fitting  out  the  expedition,  the  Smithsonian  Institution  has  afforded  all 
the  facilities  in  its  power  in  procuring  the  necessary  apparatus,  and  in  fur- 
nishing the  outfit  for  making  collections  in  the  various  departments  of  nat- 
ural history.    The  Coast  Survey,  under  the  direction  of  Professor  Peirce,  has 


ArrKXDix.  .  433 

contriliutcd  iistrKiiiiinical  atvl  miij,motical  iiistninicnts.  Tlif  IIyilr()i,'rii|)liic 
OtKci'.  iiiuliT  Ciiptuiu  W'yniun,  lias  furnislud  a  transit  instninicnt.  sfxiants, 
cliroiiiinictirs,  cliai'ts,  hooks,  ct*'.  Tlic  Signal  Corps,  umlcr  (Jciicral  Mycr. 
has  siipplicil  ant'iiioiiu'tcrs,  tlicrinoinctcrs,  ancroiil  and  nicrciirial  liaronio- 
li'rs,  lu'siik's  detailing  a  sergeant  to  assi>t  in  tiie  meteorological  observa- 
tions. The  nil  inliers  of  the  eonunittee  of  the  Ac  adeniy,  especially  Prot'osors 
Baird  and  Ililgard.  have,  in  disenssing  with  Dr.  P>e^>el  the  scviial  jxiints  of 
scientific  investigation,  and  in  assisting  to  train  iii>  oljscrvers,  rendered  iin- 
]»ortant  service. 

The  liberal  manner  in  \\  iiicii  the  Navy  Department,  unchT  yonr  direction, 
has  ])rovided  a  vessel  and  especially  fitted  it  out  for  the  pnrpose,  witii  a 
liountiful  supply  of  provisions,  fuel,  and  all  other  retpiisites  for  the  success 
of  the  ex])e(lition,  as  well  as  the  health  and  comfort  of  its  memlters,  will,  we 
doul)t  not,  meet  the  approliatinn  of  Congress,  and  he  i'.iglily  ap[>reciateil  l>y 
all  persons  interested  in  Arctic  explorations. 

From  the  foregoing  statement  it  must  he  evident  that  the  ]irovi~ions  for 
exploration  and  scientitic  research  in  this  case  are  as  ample  as  those  which 
have  ever  been  made  for  any  other  Arctic  expedition  ;  and  should  the  re- 
sults net  he  commensurate  with  the  anticipations  in  regard  to  them,  the 
fact  can  not  l)c  attributed  to  a  want  of  interest  in  the  enterprise  or  to  in- 
aile(iuacy  of  the  means  which  have  been  afforded. 

We  have,  however,  full  confidence,  not  only  in  the  al)ility  of  Cajitain 
Hall  and  his  naval  associates,  to  make  important  ;idditions  to  tlie  knowl- 
edge of  the  geogra[)hy  of  the  Polar  region,  hut  also  in  his  interest  in  sci- 
ence and  his  determination  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  assist  and  facilitate  the 
scientitic  operations. 

Appended  to  this  letter  is  the  series  of  instructions  prepared  by  the  com- 
mittee of  the  Academy,  viz. :  the  instructions  on  astronomy,  by  Professor 
Newcomb;  on  magnetism,  tides,  etc.,  by  Professor  J.  E.  Hilgard:  on  mete- 
orology, by  Professor  Henry;  on  natural  history,  by  Professor  S.  F.  Baird; 
on  geology,  by  Professor  Meek;  and  on  ghiciers,  by  Professor  Agassiz. 

I  have  the  lionor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JosKi'ii  IIknuv, 
Presiilcut  of  the  Natioual  Academy  of  Science?. 

Hon.  Geo.  M.  Robeson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 


INSTRUCTIONS. 
OENERAL  DIRECTIONS  IN  REGAllD  TO   THE  MODE  OP  KEEriNG  RECORDS. 

Record  of  Ohscrvdtlom. — It  is  of  tlie  first  importance  that  in  all  instrument- 
al observations  the  fullest  record  be  made,  and  that  the  original  notes  be 
preserved  carefully. 

In  all  cases  the  actual  instrumental  readings  must  be  recorded,  and  if  any 
corrections  are  to  be  applied,  the  reason  for  these  corrections  must  also  he 
recorded.  For  instance,  it  is  not  sufficient  to  state  the  index  error  of  a 
sextant ;  the  manner  of  ascertaining  it  and  the  readings  taken  for  the  pur- 
pose must  be  recorded. 

28 


434  APPENDIX. 

The  l(>i,f-Iin(ik  -Imulil  ( ontaiii  a  ('(iiitiiiiioiis  !iarnitivc  of  all  that  is  done  liy 
tlic  rxjxilitini),  and  ofall  iiiciilciits  wliidi  occur  on  vliipKoaril.  and  a  simi- 
lar journal  should  lie  kept  i>y  each  sltMltre-purty.  The  actual  observations 
tor  determining;  time,  latitude,  the  sun's  hearintr.  and  all  notes  liaviii.n'  ref- 
erence to  niaiipinsf  the  shore,  soundinL,'s.  temperature,  etc.,  should  l)e  entered 
in  the  loy;-lio()k  or  journal  in  the  reirular  order  of  occurrence.  When  s<.'ien- 
titic  oltscrvations  are  more  fully  recorded  in  the  note-books  of  the  scientitic 
observer  than  can  be  conveniently  transcriiied  into  the  loir-book,  the  fact 
of  the  observation  and  reference  to  tiie  notebook  should  be  entered. 

Till'  evidence  of  the  genuineness  of  tlie  observations  brouiiht  iiack  should 
be  of  the  most  irrefragable  charaeter.  No  erasures  whatever  with  rubber 
or  knife  should  be  made.  When  an  entry  reipiires  correction,  the  tii;ure> 
or  words  should  be  merely  crossed  by  a  line,  and  the  correct  ligures  written 
above. 

ASTUOXOMY. 

Astronomical  (>hxcrr(dions. — One  of  the  chronometers,  the  most  valuable, 
if  there  is  any  ilitference,  should  be  selected  as  the  standard  by  which  all 
observations  are  to  lie  made,  as  far  as  practicable.  The  other  chronometers 
should  all  be  conij)arcd  with  this  every  flay  at  the  time  of  winding,  antl  the 
comparisons  entered  in  the  astronomical  note-book. 

When  practicable,  the  altitude  or  /.enith  distance  of  the  sun  shu!   I  ' 
taken  four  times  a  day  —  morniny  anil  eveninu;  for  time;  noon  .'i.i 
niirht  for  latitmle.     The  chnmometcr  or  watch  times  of  the  latj;r.<' 
servations,  as  well  as  of  the  time  observations,  should  always  be  rex.       ' 
Each  observation  should  always  be  repeated  at  least  three  times  in  all. 
detect  any  nustake. 

When  the  ujoon  is  visible,  three  measures  of  her  altitude  should  be  taken 
about  the  time  other  i)assai;e  over  each  cardinal  point  of  true  bearing,  and 
the  chronometer  time  of  each  altitude. should  be  recorded. 

As  the  Greenwich  time  deduced  from  the  chronometers  will  be  quite  un- 
reliable after  the  lirst  si.v  months,  it  will  be  necessary  to  have  recourse  to 
lunar  distances.  These  should  l»e  measuied  from  the  sun,  in  preference  to 
a  star,  whenever  it  is  practicable  to  do  so. 

If  a  se.vtant  is  used  in  observation,  a  measure  of  the  semi-diameter  of  the 
sun  or  moon  should  lie  taken  e\ery  day  or  two  for  index  error. 

The  ol  servations  arc  by  no  means  to  be  pretermitted  when  lying  in  port, 
because  tiiey  will  help  to  correct  the  position  of  the  port. 

The  observations  should,  if  convenient,  be  taken  so  near  the  standard  chro- 
nometer that  the  observer  can  signal  the  moment  of  observation  to  an  assist- 
ant at  the  chronometer,  who  is  to  note  the  time.  If  this  is  not  found  conven- 
ient, and  a  comparing  watch  is  used,  the  watch-time  and  the  com])arison 
of  the  watch  with  the  chronometer  should  1)oth  be  carefully  recorded. 

The  observations  made  by  the  main  party  should  be  all  written  down  in 
full  in  a  continuous  scries  of  note-books,  from  which  they  may  be  copied  in 
the  log.  Particular  care  should  be  exercised  in  always  recording  i\vi  place, 
dute,  and  Jbnh  of  sun  or  moon  observed,  and  any  other  particulars  necessary 
to  the  complete  understanding  of  the  observation. 


APPENDIX.  4^-, 

OhMemitionx  itt  Wiiitir-qmn-tn-s. — TIic  ;i~triiiioinical  transit  instrunifnt  will 
be  set  up  in  a  suitalilc  (ii»(rvatory.  A  mciiilian  murk  slioiild  l)e  ('stalili>ii- 
eil  as  soon  as  practical )lc.  and  tlic  instnitni  iit  kept  witli  i'onstant  caro  in 
the  vertical  plane  passing  tlironirh  the  mark,  in  onler  that  all  observations 
may  be  brontfht  to  bear,  on  detcnninini;'  the  deviation  of  that  plane  from 
the  nu'ridian  of  the  places.  The  transits  of  circiiin])olar  stars,  on  both  side> 
of  tile  pole,  and  those  of  stars  near  the  eijuiitor,  should  be  fre(]Uentl.v  oli- 
served. 

Moon  culminations,  inchidiiiij  the  transits  of  both  first  ami  second  limbs, 
should  be  observed  for  the  detennination  (jf  longitude  independently  of 
the  rates  of  the  chronometers.  Twelve  transits  of  eaeli  liml)  is  a  desirable 
number  to  obtain — niore,  if  practieal)le.  If  any  occultations  of  bright  stars 
by  the  moon  are  visible,  tiiey  should  be  likewise  observed. 

The  observations  for  latitude  will  be  made  witii  the  sextant  and  artiticiul 
horizon,  upon  stars  both  north  and  south  of  the  zenith. 

All  the  chronometers  of  the  expedition  should  be  compared  <hiily,  as 
nearly  as  practicable  about  the  same  time. 

Whenever  a  party  leaves  the  permanent  station  for  an  exploration,  and 
imuKHliately  upon  its  return,  its  chronometer  should  be  comijared  with  the 
standard  chnmometer  of  ih'-  station. 

Ofmrcatiotis  duriinj  Shd/jc  or  L'oaf  Juiirnej/s. — The  instruments  to  be 
taken  are  the  small  Casclla  theodolite,  or  a  pocket-sextant  ami  artificial 
horizon,  one  or  more  chronometers,  and  a  jtrismatic  compass,  for  takinsj; 
magnetic  bearings  of  the  sun.  In  very  high  latitudes  the  time  of  the  sun"s 
meridian  altitude  is  not  readily  determined ;  it  Avill  be  advisable,  therefore, 
to  take  altitudes  when  the  sun  is  near  tlie  meridian,  as  indicated  l)y  the 
compass,  with  regard  to  the  variations  of  the  compass,  as  derived  from  an 
isogonic  chart.  The  time  when  the  observation  is  taken  will,  of  course, 
be  noted  by  the  chronometer.  Altitudes  should  be  taken  in  this  way.  both 
to  the  south  and  north  of  the  zenith  :  they  will  enable  the  traveler  to  ob- 
tain his  latitude  at  once  very  nearly,  without  the  more  laborious  computa- 
tion of  the  time. 

The  observations  for  time  should  be  taken  as  nearly  as  may  be  when  the 
snn  is  at  right  angles  to  the  meridian,  to  the  east  and  west,  the  compass 
being  again  used  to  ascertain  the  proper  direction.  This  method  of  i)ro- 
ceeding  will  call  for  observations  of  altitude  at  or  near  the  four  cardinal 
points,  or  nearly  six  hours  apart  in  time. 

When  the  party  changes  its  i)lace  in  the  interval  between  their  observa- 
tions, it  is  necessary  to  have  some  estimate  of  the  distance  and  direction 
traveled.  Tlie  ultimate  mapping  of  the  route  will  mainly  depend  upon  the 
astronomical  observations,  ])ut  no  pains  should  be  spared  to  make  a  record 
every  hour  of  the  estimated  distance  traveled — by  log,  if  afloat — of  the  di- 
rection of  the  route,  by  compass,  and  of  bearings  of  distant  objects,  such  as 
peaks,  or  marked  headlands,  by  which  the  route  may  be  plotted. 

In  case  of  a  few  days'  halt  being  made  when  a  very  high  latitude  has 
been  reached,  or  at  any  tip  "  during  the  summer's  exi)lorations,  a  special 
object  of  cure  should,  be  '       ;..( ;'  ".n  the  actual  rate  of  the  chronometers 


436  APPENDIX. 

witii  tlic  party.  To  this  onil,  u  wcll-tletiiicil,  fixt'd  oltjict.  in  any  direction, 
■iiioiild  l)c  selected  as  a  mari<,  the  tiieodolite  jiointtd  on  it.  and  tiie  transit 
of  the  sun  over  its  vertical  observed  on  everyday  duriny  the  sojourn  at  tlie 
place.  Iftlie  party  he  only  provided  with  a  se.xtant,  then  the  same  angular 
distances  oftlic  sun  from  a  fixed  object  should  be  ol)served  on  successive 
days,  the  angles  being  cln^sen  so  as  to  be  between  ;50'  and  4~).  For  in- 
stance, set  the  sextant  successively  to  '^0'",  to  40  20',  40 '  40',  etc.,  and  note 
tlie  time  when  tiie  sun's  limb  conies  in  contact  with  the  object.  Tlie  same 
distances  will  be  found  after  twenty-four  hours,  with  a  correction  for  change 
in  the  sun's  declination.  The  sun's  altitude  sliouldl>e  oI)served  before  and 
after  these  ol>scrvations,  and  its  magnetic  bearing  should  )«!  noted,  as  well 
as  that  of  the  mark.  The  altitude  of  the  mark  should  also  be  observeil,  if 
practicable,  either  with  the  sextant  or  clinometer,  but  this  is  not  essential. 

MAGNETISM. 

On  the  voyage  and  sledge-journey,  at  all  times  wlien  traveling,  the  decli- 
iiatk'ii  or  variation  of  the  compass  should  be  ol>tained  by  oliserving  the 
magnetic  bearing  of  the  sun,  at  least  once  every  day  on  which  tlie  sun  is 
visible.  On  shipboard  .)r  in  boats  the  azimuth  compass  is  to  be  used;  on 
land  the  small  theodolite  will  be  found  preferable. 

When  afloat,  no  valuable  observations  of  the  magnetic  dip  and  inttnHity 
are  practicable.  On  the  .sledge-journey  the  dip-circle  may  l)e  carried,  and 
when  halts  are  made  longer  than  necessary  to  determine  the  place  l)y  as- 
tronomical observations,  the  dip  and  relative  intiiiaiti/.  according  to  Lloyd's 
methotl,  should  Ije  ascertained. 

At  winter- quarters,  in  adilition  to  the  above-mentioned  ol)Servations, 
tiiose  of  alu^olnte  horizontal  iiitetmtij  should  l)e  made  with  the  theodolite 
magnetometer,  including  the  determination  of  moment  of  inertia.  Also 
with  the  same  instrument  the  absolute  declination  should  be  determined. 

The  least  that  the  observer  should  be  satisfied  with  is  th.e  complete  de- 
termination of  the  three  magnetic  elements — namely,  declination,  dip,  and 
horizontal  intensity.  At  one  period,  say  witiiin  one  week,  three  determina- 
tions of  each  .should  be  made. 

It  is  advisaltle  that  the  same  ol)servations  l)e  repeated  on  three  succes- 
sive days  of  each  month  during  the  .stay  at  one  i)lace ;  avul  that  on  three 
days  of  each  month,  ns  the  1st,  11th,  and  31st.  or  any  other  days,  the  varia- 
tion of  the  declination-magnet  be  read  every  half-hor.r  during  the  twenty- 
four  hours ;  also  tliat  tlie  magnetometer,  or  at  least  a  theodolite  with  com- 
j)ass,  remain  mounted  at  all  times,  tiiat  tiie  variation  of  the  needle  may  be 
observed  as  often  as  practicable,  and  especially  when  unusual  displays  of 
aurora  Ijorealis  take  place. 

In  all  cases  the  time,  which  forms  an  essential  part  of  the  record,  should 
be  carefully  noted.  . 

Not  long  before  starting  on  a  sledge-journey  from  a  winter  station,  and 
soon  after  returning,  the  ol^servations  with  tiie  loaded  dipping-needles  for 
relative  intensity  should  be  repeated,  in  order  to  have  a  trustworthy  com- 
parison for  the  observations  which  have  been  made  on  the  journey. 


APPENDIX.  437 

FOIiCE    OF   GRAVITY. 

As  tlic-  lonrr  winter  affords  ample  leisure,  pendulum  experiments  may  l>e 
Tnade  to  determine  the  force  of  gravity,  in  comparison  with  that  at  Wash- 
ington, where  observations  have  been  made  with  the  Hayes  j)endulum  lent 
to  the  expedition.  The  record  of  the  Washington  observations,  u  copy  of 
which  is  furnished,  will  serve  as  a  guide  in  making  the  observ  tions.  Spe- 
cial  care  should  l)e  taken  while  they  are  in  progress  to  dctennine  the  rate 
of  the  chrononu'ter  with  great  ))re(ision,  l)y  observations  of  numerous  stars 
with  the  astronomical  transit  instrument,  the  pointing  of  which  on  a  fixed 
mark  should  be  freciueutly  veritied. 

OCE.\N'   PHYSICS. 

Depths. — Soundings  should  be  taken  frequently,  when  in  moderate  depths, 
at  least  sufficiently  often  to  give  some  indication  of  the  general  depth  of 
the  strait  or  sound  in  which  the  vessel  is  afloat  at  the  time.  If  an  open  sea 
be  reached,  it  should  l)e  considered  of  the  greatest  importance  to  get  some 
measure  of  its  depth,  and  since  no  bulky  sounding  ajjparatus  can  be  carried 
across  the  ice  barrier,  the  Ijoat  party  should  Ijc  provided  with  one  thousand 
fathoms  of  small  twine,  marked  in  lengths  of  ten  fathoms.  Stones,  taken 
on  board  when  the  l)oat  is  launched,  may  serve  as  weights. 

Bottom  should  be  Iwought  ;ip  whenever  practicable,  and  specimens  pre- 
serve' Circumstances  of  time  and  opportunity  must  determine  whether  a 
dred(ji  can  be  used,  or  merely  a  xpicimeu-n.ip. 

Temperature  of  the  sea  should  be  observed  with  the  "  Miller  protected 
Inilb  thermometer,"  made  liy  Casella.  near  the  surface,  about  two  fathoms 
below  the  surface,  ami  near  the  bottom.  When  time  permits,  observations 
ac  an  intermediate  depth  should  be  taken.  These  observations  have  a  par- 
ticular bearing  on  the  general  circulation  of  the  ocean,  and  are  of  great  im- 
portance. 

TUkii. — Observations  of  high  and  low  water,  as  to  time  and  height,  should 
be  made  continuously  at  winter -(juarters.  The  method  adopted  by  Dr. 
Hayes  is  recommended.  It  consists  of  a  graduated  staff  ancliored  to  the 
bottom,  directly  under  the  '•  ice  -  hole."  by  a  mushroom  -  anchor,  or  heavy 
stone  and  a  chain,  which  is  kept  stretched  by  a  counter-weight  attached  to 
a  rope  tliat  passes  over  a  pulley  rigged  overhead.  The  readings  are  taken 
by  the  lieight  of  the  water  in  the  "ice-hole."  In  the  course  of  a  few  days" 
careful  observations,  the  periods  of  high  and  low  water  will  become  suffi- 
ciently well  known  to  predict  the  turns  approximating  from  day  to  day, 
and  subseciuently.  observations  taken  every  fi\  e  minutes  for  half  an  hour, 
about  the  anticipated  turn,  will  suffice,  provided  they  be  continued  until 
the  turn  of  tide  has  become  well  marked. 

Tidal  obsen'ations  taken  at  other  points,  when  a  halt  is  made  for  some 
time,  even  if  continued  not  longer  than  a  week,  will  be  of  special  value,  as 
affording  an  indication  as  to  the  <lirection  in  which  the  tide-wave  is  pro- 
gressing, and  inferentially,  as  to  the  proximity  of  an  open  sea.  If,  as  the 
expedition  proceeds,  the  tide  is  found  to  be  later,  the  indication  is  that  the 


438  AITENDIX. 

open  sea  is  far  distant,  if  ■ndocd  the  elKinncl  lio  not  closed.  But  if  the  tide 
occurs  earlier,  a  the  ship  advances,  the  proltability  is  stronnly  in  favor  of 
the  near  apjjroach  to  uu  open,  deep  sea,  conununicatiug  directly  Avith  the 
Atlantic  Ocean. 

In  niakini^r  such  a  comparison,  attention  must  be  paid  to  the  semi-month- 
ly ineijuality  in  the  time  of  high  water,  which  may  be  api)ro.\imately  taken 
from  the  observations  at  winter-quarters.  Observations  made  at  the  same 
age  of  the  moon,  in  diflerent  places,  may  be  directly  compared. 

AVhen  the  Avater  is  open,  the  tide  may  l)e  observed  by  means  of  a  grad- 
uated pole  stuck  into  the  bottom;  or,  if  that  can  not  be  conveniently  done, 
liy  means  of  a  marked  line,  anchored  to  the  bottom,  and  floated  by  a  light 
buoy,  the  observation  being  taken  l)y  hauling  iij)  the  line  taut  over  the 
anchor. 

Currents. — It  is  extremely  desirable  to  ol)tain  some  idea  of  the  currents 
in  the  open  Polar  sea,  if  such  is  found.  No  s])ecial  oI)servations  can  be  in- 
dicated, however,  except  those  of  the  drift  of  icebergs,  if  any  should  be  seen. 

Demsit!/. — The  dansiti/  of  the  sea-water  should  be  frequently  observed  with 
delicate  hydrometers,  giving  direct  indications  to  the  fourth  decimal.  When- 
ever j)racticable  water  should  be  brought  up  from  different  dejiths,  and  its 
density  tested.  The  specimens  should  be  preserved  in  carefully  sealed  bot- 
tles, with  a  view  to  the  subsequent  determination  of  their  mineral  con- 
tents. 

METEOROLOGY. 

The  expedition  is  well  supplied  with  meteorological  instruments,  all  the 
standards,  with  the  exception  of  the  mercurial  barometers,  manufactureil 
l)y  Casella,  and  compared  with  the  standards  of  the  Kew  Observatory  un- 
der the  direction  of  Professor  Balfour  Stewart.  Dr.  Bessel  is  so  familiar 
with  the  use  of  instruments,  and  so  well  acquainted  with  the  principles  of 
meteorology,  that  minute  inst  -  "tions  are  unnecessary.  We  shall,  therefore, 
merely  call  attention,  by  wa^  ;;  emembrauce,  to  the  several  points  worthy 
of  special  notice. 

Temperature. — The  registers  of  the  temperature,  as  well  as  of  the  barom- 
eter, direction  of  the  wind,  and  moisture  of  the  atmosphere,  should,  in  all 
cases  in  which  it  is  possible,  be  made  hourlj-,  and  when  that  can  not  be 
done,  they  should  be  made  at  intervals  of  two.  three,  four,  or  six  hours.  The 
temperature  of  the  water  of  the  ocean,  as  well  as  of  the  air,  should  be  taken 
during  the  sailing  of  the  vessel. 

Tile  minimum  temperature  of  the  ice,  while  in  winter-quarters,  should  be 
noted  from  time  to  time,  perhaps  at  diflerent  depths,  also  that  of  the  Avater 
lieneath. 

The  temperature  of  the  black-bulb  thermometer  in  tciciio  exposed  to  the 
sun,  and  also  that  of  the  black-bulb  free  to  the  air,  should  be  frequently  ob- 
served while  the  sun  is  on  the  meridian,  and  at  given  altitudes  in  the  fore- 
noon and  afternoon,  and  these  oljservations  compared  with  those  of  the  or- 
dinary thermometer  in  the  shade. 

Experiments  should  also  be  made  with  the  thermometer  in  the  focus  of 
the  silvered  mirror,  the  face  of  which  is  directed  lo  the  sky.     For  this  i^ur- 


AITENDIX.  439 

pocc  the  ordinary  1ilafk-l)ull)  thormometcr  may  be  used  as  well  as  the  nakcd- 
Imll)  thennoinetcr.  Tlie  thermometer  tliu:.  ))hued  will  generally  indieate  a 
lower  temperature  than  one  freely  exposed  to  radiati(m  from  the  jrround 
and  terrestrial  ohjeets,  and  in  case  of  isolated  clouds  will  probably  serve  to 
indicate  those  whieii  are  cohler  and  perhaps  hij,dier. 

Comparison  may  also  be  made  between  the  temperature  at  ditl'erent  dis- 
tances above  the  earth,  l)y  suspending  thermometers  on  a  spar  at  different 
heiiihts. 

Tlie  temperature  of  deep  soundings  should  be  taken  with  the  thermom- 
eter, with  a  guard  to  obviate  the  pressure  of  the  water.  As  the  tendency, 
on  account  of  the  revolution  of  the  earth,  is  constantly  to  deflect  all  cur- 
rents to  the  right  hand  of  the  observer  looking  ilown  stream,  the  variati<ms 
in  temperature  in  connection  with  this  fact  may  serve  to  assist  in  indicating 
the  existence,  source,  and  direction  of  currents. 

The  depth  of  frost  shouhl  l)e  ascertained,  and  also,  if  jiossible.  the  point 
of  invariable  temperature.  For  this  purjjose,  augers  and  drills  with  long 
.stems  for  boring  deeply  should  be  provided. 

Prfxxiire  of  Air. — A  series  of  comparative  observations  should  be  made  of 
the  indications  of  the  mercurial  and  aneroid  barometers,  i'he  latter  will  l)e 
affected  by  the  variation  of  gravity  as  well  as  of  temperature,  while  the  for- 
mer Avill  require  a  correction  due  only  to  heat  and  capillarity. 

As  it  is  known  that  the  normal  height  of  the  barometer  varies  in  differ- 
ent latitudes,  accurate  observations  in  the  Arctic  regions  with  this  instru- 
ment are  very  desirable,  especially  in  connection  with  observations  on  the 
moisture  of  the  atmosphere,  since,  tt)  the  small  (juantity  of  this  in  northern 
latitudes  the  low  barometer,  which  is  observed  there,  has  been  attributed. 
I  think,  however,  it  will  be  found  that  the  true  cause  is  in  the  rotation  of 
the  earth  on  its  axis,  which,  if  sufficiently  rapid,  would  project  al!  the  air 
from  the  pole. 

In  the  latitude  of  about  00°,  there  is  a  belt  around  the  earth  in  which  the 
barometer  stands  unusually  high,  and  in  which  violent  fluctuations  occtir. 
This  will  probably  be  exhibited  in  the  projection  of  the  curve  representing 
the  normal  height  of  tlie  barometrical  column  in  different  latitudes. 

Moisture. — The  two  instruments  for  determining  the  moisture  in  the  air 
arc  the  wet  and  dry  bulb  thermometer  and  the  dew-point  instrument,  as 
improved  liy  Regnault.  But  to  determine  the  exact  quantity  in  the  atmos- 
phere in  the  Arctic  regions  will  require  the  use  of  an  aspirator,  by  which  a 
given  (juantity  of  air  can  be  passed  through  an  absorl)ing  sul)stance,  such 
as  chloride  of  calcium,  and  the  increase  of  weight  accurately  ascertained. 
It  may,  however,  be  readily  shown  that  the  amount  is  very  small  in  still  air. 

A  wind  from  a  more  southern  latitude  will  increase  the  moisture,  and 
may  give  rise  to  fogs.  Sometimes,  from  openings  in  the  ice,  v;q)or  may  be 
exhaled  from  water  of  a  higher  temperature  than  the  air,  and  be  immediate- 
ly precipitated  into  fog. 

The  inconvenience  which  is  felt  from  the  moisture  which  exhales  with 
the  breath  in  the  hold  of  the  vessel  may,  perhaps,  be  obviated  by  adopting 
the  ingenious  expedient  of  one  of  the  Arctic  voyagers,  namely,  by  making 


440       ■  APPKNDIX. 

a  numbpr  of  liolcs  t1iroui;h  the  deck  aiul  invorting  over  tliom  a  largo  metal- 
lic vessel  like  a  pot.  Tiie  exterior  of  this  vessel  heiiig  exjxised  to  the  low 
temperature  of  the  air  without,  would  condense  the  in()i>ture  from  within 
on  its  interior  surface,  and  thus  serve,  on  the  principle  of  the  ditVusion  of 
va]»or,  to  desiccate  the  air  l)e'.)w. 

The  variation  of  nuM^turc  in  the  atmosfihcrc  performs  a  very  important 
part  in  all  meteort)logie;d  ch;inges.  Its  etlects.  however,  are  proliably  less 
marked  in  the  Arctic  regions  than  in  more  soulln'm  latitudes.  The  first  ef- 
fect of  the  introduction  into  the  atmosphere  of  moisture  is  to  expand  the 
air  and  to  diminish  its  weight;  but  after  an  equilibrium  has  taken  place,  it 
exists,  as  it  were,  as  an  indei)endent  atmospliere.  and  tluis  increases  the  press- 
ure.    These  opposite  etfccts  render  the  phenomena  exceedingly  complex. 

Wiin/!<. — As  to  these,  the  following  observations  are  to  lie  regularly  and 
carefully  registered,  namely;  The  average  velocity,  as  indicated  by  Ilobin- 
son's  anemometer  ;  the  hour  at  which  any  remarkable  change  takes  place  in 
their  direction  :  the  course  of  their  veering ;  the  existence  at  the  same  time 
of  currents  in  ditferent  directions,  as  indicated  by  tlie  clouds;  the  time  of 
beginning  and  ending  of  liot  or  cold  winds,  and  the  eliriction  from  which 
they  come.  Observations  on  the  force  and  direction  of  the  wiu('  are  very 
important.  The  form  of  tlie  wind-vane  should  be  that  of  which  the  feather 
j)art  consists  of  t\v()  planes,  forming  between  them  an  angle  of  altout  10". 
The  sensibility  of  this  instrument,  provided  its  weight  l>e  not  too  mucii  in- 
creased, is  in  proportion  to  the  surface  of  the  feather  planes.  Great  care 
must  be  taken  to  enter  the  direction  of  the  wind  from  the  true  meridian, 
whenever  this  can  be  obtained,  and  in  all  cases  to  indicate  whether  the'  en- 
tries refer  to  tlie  true  or  magnetic  north.  Much  inicertainty  has  arisen  on 
account  of  the  neglect  of  this  precaution. 

In  accordance  witli  the  results  obtained  by  Professor  Coffin,  in  his  work 
on  the  resultant  direction  of  the  Avind.  there  are,  in  the  northern  hemis- 
pliere.  tliree  systems  roughly  corresponding  with  the  different  zones — nanie- 
1}%  the  tropical,  in  wliicli  the  resultant  motion  is  toward  the  west ;  the  tem- 
perate, toward  the  east ;  and  the  Arctic,  in  which  it  is  again  toward  the 
west. 

In  vhe  discussion  of  all  the  observations,  the  variation  of  the  temperature 
and  the  iiutisture  will  nnnear,  in  their  connectio'i  w-ifli  fho  direction  of  the 
wind.  Hence  tlie  importance  of  simultaneous  observations  on  these  ele- 
ments, and  also  on  the  atmospheric  pressure. 

Precipitation. — The  expedition  will  be  furnished  with  a  number  of  rain- 
gauges,  the  contents  of  which  should  be  measured  after  each  shower.  By 
inverting  and  pressing  them  downward  into  the  snow,  and  subsequently 
ascertaining,  by  melting  in  the  same  vessel,  the  amount  of  water  pro- 
duced, they  will  serve  to  give  the  jirecipitation  of  water  in  the  form  of 
snow.  The  depth  of  snow  can  be  measured  by  an  ordinary  measuring-rod. 
Much  difficulty,  however,  is  sometimes  experienced  in  obtaining  the  depth 
of  snow  on  account  of  its  drifting,  and  it  is  sometimes  not  easy  to  distin- 
guisli  whether  snow  is  actually  falling  or  merely  being  driven  by  the  wind. 

The  character  of  the  snow  should  be  noted,  w'hether  it  is  in  small  round- 


ArPENUix.  441 

(•(1  niassoH.  or  in  rotrnlar  rrvstals;  also  tlio  conditions  under  wiiicli  tliese 
liiflVrent  tbinis  air  piodiii-cd. 

Tlie  form  and  weiglit  of  iiailstones  sliould  he  nottd,  ivlK'thcr  consir-tinj: 
of  alternate  strata,  the  number  of  wliicli  is  im]i()rtant,  of  flocenlent  snow,  or 
solid  ice.  or  agiihitinations  of  antrular  crystals,  whether  of  a  s))lierical  form, 
or  that  of  an  oldate  splieroid. 

The  color  of  the  snow  should  be  oljserved  in  order  to  detect  any  ortran- 
isms  which  it  may  contain,  and  also  any  seiliment  which  may  n'm.,.ii  after 
evaporation,  wiiether  of  earthy  or  vejietablc  matter. 

Clouds. — The  cliaracter  of  the  clouds  .shoidd  be  described,  and  the  direc- 
tion of  motion  of  the  lower  and  the  liii^her  ones  renistered.  at  the  times 
|)rescrii)ed  for  the  other  observations.  Since  the  e.vpedition  is  well  supplied 
with  photoiiiaj)hic  apparatus,  frequent  views  of  the  clouds  and  of  the  gen- 
eral aspect  of  the  sky  shouhl  be  taken. 

Airri))'(t. — Kvery  phase  of  the  aurora  borealis  will  of  course  l>o  recori^ed  : 
also  the  exact  time  of  first  ai)[icarance  of  the  meteor,  wlien  it  assumes  the 
tbrm  of  an  aixli  or  a  corona,  and  when  any  important  change  in  its  general 
aspect  takes  place.  The  magnetic  bearing  of  the  crown  of  the  arch,  anil 
its  altitude  at  a  given  time,  should  be  taken;  also,  if  it  moves  to  the  south 
of  the  ob.server.  the  time  when  it  passes  tlie  zenith  sliould  be  noted.  Tlie 
time  and  position  of  a  corona  are  very  important. 

Two  distinct  arches  have  sometimes  been  seen  co-existing — one  in  the 
ea.st  and  the  other  in  the  west.  In  such  an  exhibition,  the  position  of  the 
crown  of  each  arch  should  be  determined.  Drawings  of  the  aurora,  witli 
colored  crayons,  are  very  desirable.  In  lowc  r  latitudes  a  dark  segment  is 
usually  observed  beneath  the  arch,  the  occurrence  of  which,  and  the  degree 
of  darkness,  should  be  registered.  It  also  sometimes  liappcns  that  a  sud- 
den precipitation  of  moisture  in  the  form  of  a  liaziness  is  ol)servcd  to  cover 
the  face  of  the  sky  during  the  shooting  of  the  beams  of  the  aurora.  Any 
appearance  of  this  kind  is  worthy  of  attention. 

Wave  motions  are  sometimes  observed,  and  it  -would  bo  interesting  to 
note  whether  these  are  from  east  to  west  or  in  the  contrary  direction,  and 
whether  they  have  any  relation  to  the  direction  of  the  wind  at  the  time. 
The  colors  of  the  beams  and  the  order  of  their  changes  may  be  important 
in  forming  a  tlieory  of  the  cause  of  the  phenomena.  Any  similarity  of  ap- 
pearance to  the  phenomena  exhibited  in  Geissler's  tubes  .should  be  noted, 
especially  whether  there  is  any  thing  like  stratification. 

The  aurora  should  l)e  frequently  examined  by  the  spectroscope,  and  the 
bright  lines  which  may  be  seen  carefully  compared  with  one  of  Kirchoif's 
maps  of  the  solar  spectrum. 

To  settle  the  (piestion  as  to  the  fluorescence  of  the  aurora  and  its  conse- 
quent connection  with  the  electric  discharge,  a  cone  of  light  reflected  from 
the  silver-i)latcd  mirror  should  be  thrown  on  a  piece  of  white  ])ai)cr,  on 
which  characters  have  been  traced  with  a  brush  dipped  in  sulphate;  of  qui- 
nine. By  thus  condensing  the  light  on  the  paper,  any  fluorescence  which 
the  ray  may  contain  will  be  indicated  by  the  appearance  of  the  previously 
invisible  characters  in  a  green  color. 


44:2  APPENDIX. 

Careful  observations  should  bo  uiude  to  ascertain  wlictlier  tlic  aurora  ever 
appears  over  an  expanse  of  tliielv  ice,  or  only  over  land  or  open  water,  ice 
beinuj  a  non-conductor  of  electricity. 

The  (piestion  whetiier  the  aurora  is  ever  accompanied  witli  a  noise  has 
often  been  aijfitated,  but  not  yet  apparently  detinitely  settled.  Attention 
should  bo  given  to  this  jjoint,  and  perhaps  the  result  maybe  rendereil  more 
detinite  by  the  use  of  two  ear-trumpets,  one  iri)plicd  to  each  ear. 

Accordin<f  to  Ilansteen,  tlio  aurora  consists  of  luminous  beams.  ])arallel 
to  the  dipping-needle,  which  at  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  corona  are 
shooting  up  t)n  all  sides  of  the  observer,  and  also  the  lower  portions  of 
these  licams  are  generally  invisible.  It  is,  therefore,  interesting  to  observe 
whether  the  auroral  beams  are  ever  interposed  between  the  observer  and 
a  distant  mountain  or  cloud,  especially  wlien  looking  either  to  the  east  or 
west. 

The  etlect  of  the  aurora  on  the  magnetism  of  the  earth  will  l)e  ob- 
served by  abnormal  motion  of  the  magnetic  instruments  for  observing  the 
declination,  inclination,  and  intensity.  This  ett'ect,  however,  may  be  more 
strikingly  exhibited  by  means  of  a  galvanometer,  inserted  near  one  end  of 
a  long  insulated  wire  extended  in  a  straight  line,  the  two  extremities  of 
which  are  connected  with  plates  of  metal  plunged  in  the  water,  it  may  be 
through  holes  in  tlic  ice,  or  immediately  connectetl  with  the  ground. 

To  ascertain  whether  the  etfeet  on  tlic  needle  is  due  to  an  electrical  cur- 
rent in  the  earth,  or  to  an  inductive  action  from  without,  perhai)s  the  fol- 
lowing variation  of  the  ])receding  arr:ingement  would  serve  to  give  some 
indication.  Instead  of  terminating  the  wire  in  a  plate  of  metal  plunged 
in  the  water,  let  each  end  be  terminated  in  a  large  metallic  insulated  sur- 
face, such,  for  example,  as  a  large  wooden  disk,  rounded  at  the  edges  and 
covered  with  tin-foil.  If  the  action  be  purely  inductive,  the  needle  of  the 
galvanometer  inserted,  say,  near  one  end  of  the  wire,  would  probably  in- 
dicate a  momentary  current  in  one  direction,  and  another  in  the  opposite, 
at  the  moni'.nt  of  the  cessation  of  the  action.  For  the  purpose  of  carrying 
out  this  investigation,  the  Saiithsonian  Institution  has  furnished  the  expe- 
dition with  two  reels  of  covered  wire,  each  a  mile  in  length,  one  of  which 
is  to  be  stretched  in  the  direction,  ])erhaps,  of  the  magnetic  meridian,  and 
the  other  at  right  angles  to  it.  It  would  be  well,  however,  to  observe  the 
effect  with  the  wires  in  various  directions,  or  united  in  one  continuous 
length. 

Ekrtricitij. — From  the  small  amount  of  moisture  in  the  atmosphere,  and 
the  consequent  insulating  capacity  of  the  latter,  all  disturbances  of  the 
electrical  equilibrium  will  be  seen  in  the  frequent  production  of  light  and 
sparks  on  the  friction  and  agitation  of  all  partially  non-conducting  sub- 
stances. Any  unusual  occurrences  of  this  kind,  such  as  electrical  discharges 
from  pointed  rods,  from  the  end  of  spars,  or  from  the  fingers  of  the  observ- 
er, should  be  recorded. 

A  reg'-iar  series  of  observations  should  bo  made  on  the  character  and  in- 
tensif  of  the  electricity  of  the  atmosphere  by  means  of  an  electrometer, 
lurLislied  with  a  polished,  insulated,  metallic  ball,  several  inches  in  diam- 


APPENDIX.  443 

otcr,  and  two  piles  of  deluc  to  indirutc  tlio  character  of  the  electricity, 
whether  +  •»'  — .  and  also  suj)|)licd  uitli  a  scale  to  nicasun-,  l>y  the  diver- 
gency of  a  neetlle,  tJie  degree  of  intensity.  Tiiis  instrnnient  can  be  nsed 
either  to  indicate  the  electricity  of  the  air  by  induction  or  l)y  conduction. 
In  the  first  case  it  is  only  necessary  to  elevate  it  above  a  normal  jdane  by 
means  of  a  llight  of  steps,  say  eight  or  ten  feet,  to  touch  the  ball  at  this 
elevation  and  again  to  restore  it  to  its  first  position,  when  it  will  be  found 
charged  with  electricity  of  the  same  character  as  that  of  the  air.  Or  the 
ball  may  be  brought  in  contact  with  tlie  lower  end  of  an  insulated  metal- 
lic wire,  to  the  upi)er  end  of  wiiich  is  attaclied  a  lighted  piece  of  twisted 
paper  whicli  hud  been  dried  after  previous  saturation  in  a  solution  of  ni- 
trate of  lead. 

Thunder-storms  are  rare  in  the  Arctic  regions,  although  they  sometimes 
occur;  and  in  this  case  it  is  important  to  observe  tlie  point  in  the  horizon 
in  which  the  storm-cloud  arises;  also  the  direction  of  the  wind  during  the 
passage  of  the  storm  over  the  place  of  the  observer;  and  also  the  character 
of  the  liglitning — whetiier  zigzag,  ramified,  or  direct;  also  its  direction — 
whether  from  cloud  to  cloud,  or  from  a  cloud  to  the  earth. 

Opticiil  Phcninuenii. — ]\Iirage  should  always  be  noted,  as  it  serves  to  in- 
dicate the  position  of  strata  of  greater  or  less  densicy,  which  may  be  pro- 
duced by  open  water,  as  in  the  case  of  lateral  mirage,  or  by  a  current  of 
wind  or  warmer  air  along  the  surface. 

The  polarization  of  tlie  light  of  the  sky  can  be  observed  by  means  of  a 
polariscope,  consisting  of  a  plate  of  tourmaline  with  a  slice  of  Iceland-sjjar. 
or  a  crystal  of  nitre  cut  at  right  angles  to  its  optical  axis,  on  the  side  far- 
thest from  the  eye.  With  this  simjjle  instrument  the  fact  of  polarization 
is  readily  detected,  as  well  as  tlie  i)lane  in  which  it  is  exhibited. 

Halos,  parhelia,  coronse,  luminous  arches,  and  glories  should  all  be  noted, 
both  as  to  time  of  appearance  and  any  peculiarity  of  condition  of  the  at- 
mosphere. Some  of  these  piienomena  have  been  seen  on  the  surface  of 
the  ice  by  the  reflection  of  the  sun's  beams,  from  a  surface  on  which  crys- 
tals liad  been  formed  by  the  freezing  of  a  fog  simultaneously  with  a  similar 
appearance  in  the  sky,  the  former  being  a  continuation,  as  it  were,  and  not 
a  reflection  of  the  latter. 

In  the  latitude  of  Washington,  immediately  after  the  sun  has  sunk  be- 
low the  western  horizon,  there  freijucntly  appear  faint  parallel  bands  of 
colors  just  above  the  eastern  horizon,  which  may  very  possibly  be  due  to 
the  dispersion  of  the  light  by  the  convex  form  of  the  atmosphere,  and  also, 
at  some  times,  slightly  colored  beams  crossing  the  heavens  like  meridians, 
and  converging  to  a  point  in  the  eastern  horizon.  Any  apjiearance  of  this 
kind  should  be  carefully  noted  and  described. 

Meteors. — Shooting  -  stars  and  meteors  of  all  kinds  should  be  observed 
with  the  spectroscope.  The  direction  and  length  of  their  motion  should 
be  traced  on  star  maps,  and  special  attention  given  at  the  stated  periods  in 
August  and  November.  A  remarkable  disturbance  of  the  aurora  has  been 
seen  during  the  passage  of  a  meteor  through  its  beams.  Any  phenomena 
of  this  kind  should  be  minutely  described. 


444  APPENDIX. 

Ozone. — Tlio  cxpcilitioii  is  I'limislicd  witli  a  f|nantity  of  ozono  test-paper, 
observations  witli  wiiieh  can  oniy  he  rendered  eoni|iaraI)le  liy  projeetin<r 
ajrainst  the  sensitized  paper  a  ^riven  (inantity  ofatnios|)iieric  air.  For  this 
jnirpose  an  aspirator  should  be  used,  wliieh  may  be  maiie  by  fasteninir  to- 
getlier  tno  small  easks.  one  of  wliieh  is  tilled  with  water,  with  their  axes 
panillel.  liy  means  of  a  pieei-  of  plank  nailed  aenws  the  heads,  tiirounh  the 
middle  of  wliieh  is  ]iassed  an  iron  axis,  on  which  the  two  ea-ks  nuiy  be 
made  to  revolve,  and  tlie  full  cask  may  reailily  l>e  placed  above  the  empty, 
so  that  its  contents  may  gradually  (k'scend  into  the  latter.  Durini;  the 
runnint;-  of  the  water  from  the  upjier  cask,  an  etpial  quantity  of  air  is 
drawn  thn  '"fh  a  small  adjutage  into  a  closed  vessel  and  made  to  impinire 
upon  the  te.-^t-paper.  The  ves.';el  containing  the  test-paper  should  Ije  united 
with  the  as])irator  by  means  of  an  India-rubber  tube. 

Mixal/aiuon.'i. — The  conduction  of  sound  diu'ing  still  weather,  tlirough 
the  air  over  the  ice,  through  the  ice  Jlself  and  through  the  w  ater.  may  be 
studied. 

Evaporation  of  snow,  ice,  anil  water  may  l)e  measured  by  a  balance,  of 
which  the  pan  is  of  a  given  dimension. 

Experiments  on  the  resistance  of  water  to  freezing  in  a  contined  space  at 
a  low  temperature  may  be  made  with  small  bomb-shells  closed  with  screw- 
plugs  of  iron.  The  fact  of  the  liipiidity  of  the  water  at  a  very  low  tempera- 
ture may  be  determined  by  the  percussion  of  a  small  iron  bullet,  or  by  sim- 
ply inverting  the  shell,  when  the  ball,  if  the  lifpiid  remains  unfrozen,  will 
be  found  at  the  lowest  point.  It  might  be  better,  however,  to  em))loy  ves- 
sels of  wrought  iron  especially  prepared  for  the  purpose,  since  the  jiorosity 
of  cast-iron  is  such  that  the  water  will  be  forced  through  the  jjores,  e.  tj.. 
the  lower  end  of  a  gun-barrel,  whicli,  from  the  smallness  of  its  tliameter. 
will  sustain  an  immense  pressure,  and  through  which  the  percussion  of 
tlie  inclosed  bullet  may  be  more  readily  lieard.  Water,  in  a  thin  metallic 
vessel,  exposed  on  all  sides  to  the  cold,  sometimes  gives  rise  to  hollow 
crystals  of  a  remarkable  shape  and  size,  projecting  above  the  level  surface 
of  the  water,  and  exhibits  phenomena  worthy  of  study. 

Ex])eriinents  may  lie  made  on  regulation,  tlie  jilasticity  of  ice.  the  con- 
solidation of  snow  into  ice.  the  expansion  of  ice,  its  conducting  power  for 
heat,  and  the  various  forms  of  its  crystallization.  The  effect  of  intense  cold 
should  be  studied  on  potassium,  sodium,  and  other  substances,  especially  in 
relation  to  their  oxidation. 

The  melting  point  of  mercury  should  be  okserved,  particularly  as  a  means 
of  correcting  the  graduation  of  thermometers  at  low  temperatures.  The 
resistance  to  freezing  of  minute  drops  of  mercury,  as  has  been  stated,  should 
be  tested.  Facts  long  observed,  when  studied  under  new  conditions. 
scarcely  ever  fail  to  yield  new  and  interesting  results. 

NATUKAI.  HISTOKY. 

Objects  of  natural  histoiy  c'^all  kinds  should  be  collected,  and  in  as  large 
numbers  as  possible.  For  this  purpose  all  on  board  the  vessel,  both  officers 
and  sailors,  should  be  required  to  collect,  upon  every  favorable  opportunity. 


APl'KXDIX.  44;-, 

aiul  to  deliver  the  spcciimns  olit;iinL'«l  to  tlioso  appointed  to  liave  cliarge 
of  tJRin. 

ZooliKitj. — Tlie  terrestrial  inaninials  of  Greenland  ari'  i)retty  well  tmown, 
lint  it  is  still  desiraMe  that  a  sciics,  as  coniplctc  as  possible,  of  tlie  skin> 
should  lie  preserved,  j^reat  <-are  heintr  taken  to  always  indicate,  upon  the 
label  to  be  attached,  the  sex  and  proliaiile  ai,'e,  as  well  as  the  h^eality  and 
date  of  eaptnre.  Tlie  skeleton,  an<l,  when  it  is  not  pos>ilile  to  get  this 
complete,  any  iletaehed  bones.  i)artienlarly  the  skull  and  attached  cervical 
vertebra-,  are  very  desirable.  Interesting  soft  i)arts,  especially  the  brain,  and 
.also  embryos,  are  very  important.  If  it  should  be  considered  necessary  to 
record  measurements,  they  should  be  taken  from  specimens  recently  killed. 

Of  walruses  and  seals  there  should  be  collected  as  many  skeletons  as 
possible,  of  old  and  young  individuals;  also  skins,  especially  of  the  seals. 
Xotes  should  be  nuide  regarding  the  habits  in  geneial.  food,  period  of  eoj)- 
ulation.  '.luration  of  gestation,  and  time  of  migration,  it  being  desirable  to 
tind  out  whether  their  migrations  are  periodical. 

Of  the  Cefdcca,  when  these  are  too  large  to  be  taken  on  board  the  vessel, 
the  skull  and  cervical  vertebrtv,  the  bones  of  the  extremities  and  penis,  and 
whatever  else  may  be  deemeel  worthy  of  preservation,  should  be  secured. 
All  the  animals  should  be  examined  for  ecto-  and  ento-i)arasites,  and  the 
means  by  which  they  become  affixed  to  the  animals  noted. 

Collect  carefully  the  sj)ecies  of  MijoiUs  (lemmings),  AnioriDjx,  and  Artico- 
la,  so  as  to  determine  the  variations  with  locality  and  season.  The  rela- 
tionship of  two  kinds  of  foxes,  the  blue  and  white,  should  be  studied  to 
<ietermine  their  specirtc  or  other  relationship.  Any  brown  bears  shouhl 
be  ::areful!y  collected,  both  skin  and  skeleton,  to  determine  whether  ideu- 
tic.i!  or  not  with  the  Old  World  Urmis  Arctus. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  seals  and  cetaceans;  of  these  the 
Phoai  eri!i(afa  (the  white  whalej,  IkliKju,  and  the  Monodon  are  particularly 
desired. 

What  has  been  said  in  regard  to  the  mammals  will  ap])ly  equally  well  to 
the  hinla  —  skins  and  skeletons  being  equally  desirable.  It  is  especially 
imj)ortant  that  t\\Q  fresh  colom  of  the  bill,  cere,  gums,  eyes,  and  feet,  or  car- 
uncles, or  bare  skin,  if  there  be  any,  slxmld  be  noted,  as  the  colors  of  these 
parts  all  change  after  the  preparation  of  a  specimen. 

Of  birds,  the  smaller  land  species  are  of  the  greatest  interest,  and  com- 
plete series  of  them  should  be  gathered.  The  northern  range  of  the  in- 
sectivorous s])ecies  should  be  especially  inquired  into.  The  Arctic  falcons 
should  be  collected  in  all  their  varieties,  to  ascertain  whether  there  are  two 
forms,  a  brown  and  a  white,  distinct  through  life,  or  whether  one  changes 
with  age  into  the  other. 

Inquiry  shoukl  l)e  directed  to  the  occurrence  of  Bernida  ki/copsis,  Anser 
'•inereiis,  or  other  large  gray  geese,  and  the  C(tmptol(vui>(s  Labradoni ;  and  'i 
large  number  of  specimens,  of  the  latter  especially,  should  be  obtained.  In- 
deed the  geese  and  ducks  generally  should  form  subjects  ot  si)ecial  exam- 
ination. Among  the  Laruhv  the  most  important  sj)ecies  is  the  ]a<-us  roxsii 
or  Wiodostethia  rosea,  scarcely  known  in  collections.     A  large  number  of 


4-itJ  ArrKNDix. 

skiiiv  Mini  cLi^s  will  l>c  a  valual)lc  aci|iiisiti<iii.  Lurnx  ilnrii-'in  is  aUi' 
worthy  iit'liciim  cnllfctiMl.  The  A/ri'/n  >li(nilil  lie  carct'iilly  cxamiiUMl  I'nr 
any  new  tonus,  ami  ini|uiri('s  ilircctcil  in  icnanl  to  tlu'  A/rn  li/ij,i uul.s. 

Of  all  liirils"  cu'^s  an  anij)le  store  siioiij.l  he  leathered;  anil  the  skeletons 
oTthc  Arrfir  nijif'urx  and  tiie  Xatotnrtx  licnerally. 

It  will  he  a  matter  of  much  iuii)ortanee  to  ascertain  what  is  the  extreme 
northern  ran^e  of  the  continental  species  of  hirds,  and  whether,  in  the 
hiifhot  latitudes,  the  European  forms  known  to  occur  in  (Jreenland  cno- 
liatlin  Bay. 

Eiiiis  ami  nests  of  hirds,  in  as  larLre  mimhers  as  possihlc,  slu  iild  he  pro- 
cured, u'reat  care  heinij  taken,  iiowever,  in  all  cases  to  identity  them  hy  the 
parents  which  may  he  shot,  and  some  p(Utioii.  if  not  all  of  them,  preserved. 
if  not  rcco^nizetl  l)y  the  collector.  All  the  en'^s  of  one  set  should  lie  mark- 
ed witli  the  san\e  numher,  that  they  may  not  be  separated;  the  parent 
bird,  if  collected,  likewise  receiving  the  same  numher.  It  should  also  he 
.stated,  if  known,  how  long  the  eggs  have  been  sat  upon,  as  ineul)ation  in- 
fluences very  much  their  color;  the  situation  of  the  nest,  also,  is  very  im- 
portant. Xotes  on  the  manner  of  nesting,  localities  selected,  and  other  pe- 
culiarities of  breeding,  should  be  carefully  kej)! ;  whether  they  are  jxilyga- 
mous,  whether  there  are  struggles  between  t!ie  males,  and  the  manner  in 
which  the  old  hirds  feed  their  voung;  and  whether  these  remain  helples> 
in  the  nest  for  a  given  time,  or  whether  they  accompany  the  parents  from 
biith.  A  journal  of  the  arrival  and  de])arture  of  the  migratory  species 
should  also  be  kept,  to  find  out  whether  those  which  leave  latest  return 
earliest,  and  tke  versa. 

Of  fishes  that  are  ol)tainod,  the  best  specimens  should  be  photographed. 
the  fresh  colors  noted,  and  then  they  should  be  2>i'eserved  in  alcohol  or 
carbolic  acid. 

Among  the  tishes  the  Sdlmouiilr.  C"ffiih(\  Gi'illdie,  and  Chqieida'  will  be 
of  most  interest,  and  good  series  shouhl  Iw  secured. 

The  terrestrial  inferior  animals  should  be  all  collected,  each  class  in  its 
appropriate  way. 

Try  to  get  larva?  of  insects,  and  observe  their  life,  whether  they  are  well 
adapted  to  their  surroundings;  fir  in  proportion  to  the  insects  are  the  num- 
ber of  insectivorous  animals;  and  for  that  reason  the  struggle  for  life 
woiild  be  more  energetic,  and.  therefore,  only  those  insects  which  are  l)e>t 
atlapted  to  the  conditions  will  survive. 

Inferior  marine  animals  are  usually  collected  by  two  methods,  viz.,  witii 
a  pelagic  net  and  by  a  dredge.  IJoth  these  methods  should  he  employed 
whenever  practical)le.  Especial  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  lar\;t,  of 
which  sketches  should  he  made.  The  results  of  the  dredging  sh<)uld  be 
noted  in  blanks  printed  for  this  purpose,  the  specimens  to  be  preserved  as 
theii-  constitutions  require.  MuUer's  liquor,  glycerine,  solution  of  alcohol 
and  sugar,  etc. 

It  would  be  of  peculiar  interest  to  study  the  several  deep  regions,  ad- 
mitted by  Forties  and  others,  to  ascertain  if  in  the  Arctic  regions  the  in- 
tensity of  color  increases  with  the  depth,  as  has  been  stated  to  hv.  the  case 


Ari'KNDlX.  447 

with  red  and  violet,  wliicli,  if  true,  would  Ik-  just  the  coiitnirv  to  wliat  is 
ol)st'rved  in  tlie  temperate  and  tropical  re!,'ions. 

Ufslieli-i  two  sets  should  l)e  |tre-(M\  ed,  one  dr\  and  tiie  other  "•////  //„  ,/;). 
itiKi/.m  alcohol;  tiie  dry  >iiell  is  necosary  t'roni  the  fact  that  tiie  alcohol. 
l>y  the  acetic  acid  produced,  is  .apt  to  dotroy  the  color. 

It  is  particularly  important  to  yit  as  t'ull  a  series  as  possible  of  the  nieni- 
l)ers  of  the  smaller  families,  with  a  view  to  the  preparation  of  mono'.:rapli». 

There  should  he  paid  as  nuich  attention  as  possilile  to  the  fauna  ot' fresh- 
water hikes  to  ascertain  whether  tliey  contain  marine  forms,  .-is  ha-  hi  in 
fonnd  to  he  the  case  witli  some  of  those  in  North  America,  Scandinavia. 
Italy,  and  other  countries.  From  tiiis  important  conclusions  rcirardinii'  the 
risini,'  of  the  coast  may  he  arrived  at. 

iSiitiiiiii. — Pliints  are  to  he  collcftcd  in  two  ways.  Of  cacli  species  some 
sjtecimens  should  he  put  in  alcohol  to  serve  for  studyint,'  the  anatomy  ;  the 
others  to  he  dried  l)etween  sheets  of  hlottin;^'-paper.  The  locality  of  cad: 
specimen  shoiihl  he  noted,  also  its  situatiini,  the  character  of  the  soil  and 
heij^iit  aI)ove  the  sea,  the  season,  and  whether  there  is  hdintrnjiixinii^.  etc.. 
etc.  In  the  ir<'ni'ral  notes  there  should  he  remarks  on  the  horizontal  and 
vertical  ilistrihution. 

OIvOI.OOY. 

TIk'  most  important  point  in  the  collection  of  jjreolojiical  specimens, 
whether  they  consist  of  rocks,  minerals,  or  fossils,  is.  that  on  hreakiny'  or 
di<,'<;in.iX  them  from  the  matrix  or  hcd,  each  individual  specimen  should  he 
carefully  wra))ped  separately  in  plialile  l)Ut  stroni;-  paper,  with  a  lal)rl  des- 
ij,ni!itim!;  the  exact  locality  from  which  it  was  obtained.  If  two  or  more 
beils  of  rock  (sandstone,  limestone,  clay,  marl,  or  other  material)  occur  at 
the  locality  from  which  specimens  are  taken,  thu  label  slionld  also  have  a 
number  on  it  corrcs])on(lin!;-  to  the  particular  bed  in  which  it  was  found,  as 
iksji^-iiated  in  a  section  made  on  the  spot  in  a  note-book.  This  should  be 
done  in  order  that  the  specimens  from  eacii  bed  may  Ijc  separated  from 
those  found  in  others,  whether  the  beds  are  separable  liy  differences  of  com- 
position or  by  differences  in  the  <froui)s  of  fossils  found  in  each;  and  it  is. 
moreover,  often  important  that  this  care  should  be  observed,  even  when  one 
or  more  of  the  beds  arc  of  inconsiderable  thickness,  if  such  beds  are  charac- 
terized by  peculiar  fossils.  For  in  siich  cases  it  often  happens  that  what  may 
be  a  mere  seam  at  one  place  may  represent  an  important  formation  at  another. 

Specimens  taken  directly  from  rocks  in  place  are,  of  course,  usually  more 
instructive  than  those  found  loose;  but  it  often  hap])ens  that  much  better 
si)ecimens  of  fossils  can  lie  found  already  weathered  out.  and  lyiny  dotai  bed 
about  an  outcrop  of  hard  rock  than  can  be  broken  from  it.  These  can  gen- 
erally be  referred  to  their  jilace  in  the  section  noted  at  the  locality,  l)y  ad- 
liering  portions  of  the  matrix,  or  from  tindinu  more  or  less  perfect  examples 
of  the  same  species  in  the  beds  in  place;  but  it  is  u-sually  tlie  better  plan  to 
note  on  the  labels  of  such  specimens  that  they  were  found  loose,  especially 
if  there  are  any  evidences  that  they  may  have  been  transijorted  from  some 
other  locality  by  drift  agencies. 

All  exposures  of  rocks,  and  especially  those  of  limestone,  should  1  le  care- 


448  APPENDIX. 

fully  examined  for  fossils,  for  it  often  Iiiippens  that  hard  limestones  antl 
other  rocks  that  show  no  traces  of  organic  remains  on  the  natural  surfaces 
(covered,  as  they  often  are,  with  liciiens  and  ni()s«cs).  will  he  found  to  con- 
tain fossils  when  brc'-.en  into.  In  cases  where  fossils  are  found  to  e.xisc  in 
a  hard  ro(;k,  if  time  and  other  circumstan(,'cs  permit,  it  is  desiral)le  that  it 
should  be  vigorously  broken  with  a  heavy  hannner  provided  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  as  many  specimens  of  the  fossils  as  ])()ssibh'  (or  as  the  means  of 
trans|)ortation  ^vill  permit)  should  be  collecte<l. 

Fossils  from  rocks  of  all  ages  will,  of  course,  Ijc  interesting  and  instruct- 
ive, but  it  is  particularly  tlesiralile  that  organic  remains  found  in  the  later 
tertiary  and  quaternary  formations  of  these  higli  northern  latitudes,  if  any 
such  exist  there,  should  be  collected.  These,  whether  of  animals  or  plants, 
would  throw  nmch  light  on  the  questi(m  resi^ecting  the  climatic  conditions 
of  the  Polar  regions  at  or  just  preceding  the  advent  of  man. 

Specimens  illustrating  the  lithological  character  of  all  the  rocks  observed 
in  each  district  explored  should  also  be  collected,  as  well  as  of  the  organic 
remains  fcmnd  in  fossiliferous  beds;  also,  of  all  kinds  of  minerals.  Those 
of  rocks  and  amorphous  minerals  should  be  trimmed  to  as  nearly  the  same 
size  and  form  as  can  conveniently  be  done — say  three  by  four  inches  wide 
and  long  and  one  and  a  quarter  inches  in  thickness.  Crystalline  minerals 
ought,  of  course,  to  be  broken  from  the  matrix,  rather  with  the  view  of 
preserving  the  crystals,  as  far  as  possib'e,  than  with  regard  to  the  size  or 
form  of  tiie  hand  s])ecimens;  and  the  same  remark  applies  equally  to  fossils. 

On  an  overland  journey  the  circumstances  may  not  always  be  such  as  to 
allow  the  necessary  time  to  wrap  carefully  and  label  specimens  on  the  .s])ot 
wii(;re  they  Avere  collected ;  but  in  such  cases  numbers,  or  some  other  marks, 
should  b{!  scratched  with  the  j)oint  of  a  knife,  or  other  hard-pointed  instru- 
ment, on  each,  by  means  of  which  the  specimens  collected  at  different  times 
and  places  during  the  march  can  be  correctly  separated,  labeled,  and  wrap- 
ped when  the  party  stops  for  rest. 

All  specimens  should  be  packed  tightly  in  boxes  as  soon  as  enough  have 
been  collected  to  fill  a  Ijox,  and  a  label  should  be  attached  to  each  box  in- 
dicating the  particular  district  of  country  in  which  the  collections  were  ob- 
tained. For  this  purpose,  empty  provision  boxes  or  packages  can  gener- 
ally be  used. 

In  examining  sections  or  exposures  of  rocks  along  a  shore  or  elsewhere,  it 
is  a  good  plan  to  make  a  rough  sketch  in  a  note  book,  thus :  "  Section  1 : 


Clay. 


Shale. 


8  feet. 

T  f jet. 


Clay. 


Sandstone. 


12  feet. 

12  feet. 


LimestoD'?. 


10  feet. 


APPENDIX.  449 

Then,  on  the  same  or  foHowing  pages,  more  partieuhir  descriptions  of  the 
nature  and  composition  of  the  several  lieds  shouUl  be  written,  referri.ig  to 
eacli  ))y  its  number.  Sections  ol'tliis  kind  should  be  niunbered  1,  2,  H,  and 
80  on,  in  the  order  in  which  they  were  oljserved,  and  the  specimens  from 
each  bed  ought  also  to  be  numbered  on  its  lul>el,  so  as  to  correspond.  That 
is,  specimens  from  the  lowest  bed  of  the  tirst  section  should  be,  for  instance, 
marked  thus:  "  Section  No.  1,  bed  No.  1,"  and  so  on.  The  name  of  the  lo- 
cality, however,  should  also,  as  already  sugg(!sted,  be  written  on  the  labels 
as  a  provision  against  the  possil)le  loss  of  note-books. 

It  generally  ha])pens  that  an  outcrop  will  show  only  a  part  of  the  beds 
of  which  it  is  composed,  thus : 


5 

Unexposed. 

\.     10  feet. 

7  feet. 
X^^  8  feet. 

4 

Limeatone. 

3 

Unexposed  ppiicc. 

t 

Limestone. 

11  feet. 

1 

Sandstone. 

16  feet. 

In  such  a  case  the  facts  should  be  noted  exactly  as  seen,  without  any  at- 
tempt to  guess  at  the  nature  of  the  material  that  may  till  the  unexposed 
spaces ;  but  generally,  by  com])aring  different  sections  of  this  kind  taken  in 
the  same  region,  the  entire  structure  of  a  district  may  be  made  out. 

The  dip  and  strike  of  strata  should  also  be  carefully  observed  and  noted, 
as  well  as  the  occurrence  of  dikes  or  other  outbursts  of  igneous  rocks,  and 
the  effects  of  the  latter  on  the  contiguous  strata. 

All  evidences  of  the  elevation  or  sinking  of  coasts  should  likewise  be 
carefully  observed  and  noted. 

Especial  attention  should  be  given  to  glacial  phenomena  of  every  kind, 
such  as  the  formation,  size,  movements,  etc.,  of  existing  glaciers,  their  abrad- 
ipg  and  other  efl'ects  upon  the  subjacent  rocks,  their  fonnation  of  moraines, 
etc. ;  also,  the  formation,  extent,  and  movements  of  icebergs,  and  their  pow- 
er of  transporting  masses  of  rock,  etc. 

At  Cape  Frazier,  between  lat.  80°  N.  and  long.  70°  W.,  Dr.  Hayes  found 
some  upper  silurian  fossils  in  a  hard  gray  limestone.  This  rock  doubtless 
has  a  rather  wide  extension  in  the  country  referred  to,  as  other  explorers 
have  brought  silurian  fossils  from  several  localities  fartiier  southward  and 
westward  in  this  distant  northern  region.  Should  the  party  visit  the  lo- 
cality from  which  Dr.  Hayes  collected  his  specimens,  it  is  desirable  that  as 
complete  a  collection  as  possil)le  should  be  obtained,  as  most  of  those  found 
by  Dr.  Hayes  were  lost. 

For  making  geological  observations  and  collecting  geological  specimens, 
very  few  instruments  are  required.  For  determining  the  elevations  of  mount- 
tiins  and  the  general  altitude  of  the  country,  a  barometer  is  sufficiently  ac- 

29 


450  APl'ENDIX. 

curate.  For  local  elevations  of  leas  extent,  a  pocket-level  (Locke's)  should 
be  provided.  Tape-linos  are  also  useful  for  measuring?  vertical  outcrops 
and  other  purposes;  and  a  <^ood  pocket-compass  is  indispensable.  The  lat- 
ter sliould  have  a  clinometer  attaclied. 

A  good  supply  of  well-tempered  cast-steel  hammers  should  also  l)e  pro- 
vided. They  should  be  of  various  sizes  and  forms,  and  ought  to  l»c  made 
with  large  enough  eyes  to  receive  stout  handles,  of  wliidi  a  good  nmnlter, 
made  of  well-seasoneil  hickory,  should  be  pre])ared.  Chisels  of  different 
sizes  should  also  be  prepared  of  well-tempered  steel. 

A  pouch  of  leatlier  or  stout  canvas,  with  a  strap  to  pass  over  the  shoul- 
der, will  be  found  useful  to  carry  specimens  for  short  distances. 

GLACIEUS. 

The  progress  of  our  knowledge  of  glaciers  has  disclosed  two  sides  of  the 
subject  entirely  disconnected  with  one  another,  and  requiring  different 
means  of  investigation.  The  study  of  the  structure  of  glaciers  as  they  ex- 
ist now,  and  the  phenomena  connected  with  their  fonnation,  maintenance, 
and  movement,  constitute  now  an  extensive  chapter  in  the  ))hysic3  of  the 
globe.  On  the  other  hand,  it  has  been  ascertained  that  glaciers  had  a 
much  wider  range  during  an  earlier,  but  nevertheless  comparatively  recent 
geological  i)eriod,  and  have  i)roduced  during  that  i)eriod  phenomena  which, 
for  a  long  time,  were  ascribed  to  otlier  agencies.  In  any  investigation  of 
glaciers  nowadays,  tiie  student  sliould  keep  in  mind  distinctly  these  two 
sides  of  the  subject.  He  ought  also  to  remember  at  the  outset,  what  is  now 
no  longer  a  mooted  point,  that,  at  different  times  during  the  glacial  i)eriod, 
the  accumulations  of  ice  covering  larger  or  smaller  areas  of  tlie  earth's  sur- 
face have  had  an  ever-varying  extension,  and  that  whatever  facts  are  ob- 
served, their  value  will  be  increased  in  proi)ortion  as  the  chronological  ele- 
ment is  kept  in  view. 

From  the  physical  ])oint  of  view,  the  Arctic  expedition  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Hall  may  render  science  great  service  should  Dr.  Bessel 
have  an  opportunity  of  comparing  the  present  accumulations  of  ice  in  the 
Arctic  regions  with  what  is  known  of  tlie  glaciers  of  the  Alps  and  other 
mountainous  regions.  In  the  Alp:^,  the  glaciers  arc  fed  from  troughs  in  the 
higlier  regions,  in  which  snow  accumulates  during  the  whole  year,  but  mon; 
largely  during  winter,  and  by  a  succession  of  changes  is  gradually  trans- 
formed into  harder  and  harder  ice,  moving  down  to  lower  regions  where 
glaciers  never  could  have  been  formed.  The  snow-like  accumulations  of 
the  upi)er  regions  are  the  materials  out  of  which  the  compact,  transparent, 
brittle  ice  of  the  lower  glaciers  is  made.  Whatever  snow  falls  upon  the 
glaciers  in  their  lower  range  during  winter  melts  away  during  sunnner. 
and  tiiC  glacier  is  chiefly  fed  from  above  and  wastes  away  below.  The  wa- 
ter arising  from  the  melting  of  the  snow  at  the  surface  contributes  only  in- 
directly to  the  internal  economy  of  the;  glacier.  It  would  be  su])crfluou8 
here  to  rehearse  what  is  known  of  the  internal  structure  of  glaciers  and  of 
their  movement;  it  may  be  found  in  any  treatise;  cm  glaciers.  Nor  would 
it  be  of  any  avail  to  discuss  the  value  of  ccmflicting  views  concerning  their 


APPENDIX.  451 

motion.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  an  Arctic  explorer  may  add  jjreatly  to  our 
knowledge  l)y  stating  distinctly  to  what  extent  the  winter  snow,  falling 
ujton  the  surface  of  the  great  glacial  fields  of  the  Arctic,  melts  away  <lur- 
ing  summer,  and  leaves  Ijare  an  f)ld  icy  surface  covered  with  fragments  of 
rock,  sand,  dust,  etc.  Such  an  iucjuiry  will  teach  us  in  what  way  the  great 
masses  of  ice  which  pour  into  the  Arctic  Ocean  are  formed,  and  how  the 
supply  that  empties  annually  into  the  Atlantic  is  replenished.  If  the  win- 
ter snows  do  not  melt  entirely  in  the  lower  ])art  of  the  Arctic  glaciers  dur- 
ing summer,  these  glaciers  must  exhibit  a  nuicli  more  regular  stratification 
than  the  Alpine  glaciers,  and  the  successive  falls  of  snow  must  in  them  be 
indicated  more  distinctly  by  layers  of  sand  and  dust  than  in  those  of  the 
Alps  by  the  dirt  bands.  Observations  concerning  the  amount  of  waste  of 
the  glaciers  by  evaporation  or  melting,  or  what  I  have  called  ahlathm  of  the 
surface  during  a  given  time  in  different  parts  of  the  year,  would  also  be  of 
great  interest  as  bearing  upon  the  hygrometric  condition  of  the  atmosphere. 
A  pole  sunk  sufficiently  deep  into  the  ice  to  withstand  tlie  effects  of  the 
wind  could  be  used  as  a  meter.  But  it  ought  to  be  sunk  so  deep  that  it 
will  ser\e  for  a  period  of  many  months,  and  rise  high  enough  not  to  be  bu- 
ried by  a  snow-storm.  It  should  also  be  ascertained,  if  possible,  whether 
water  oozes  from  below  the  glacier,  or,  in  other  words,  whether  the  glacier 
is  frozen  to  the  ground  or  separated  from  it  by  a  sheet  of  water.  If  prac- 
ticable, a  line  of  poles  should  be  set  out  with  reference  to  a  rocky  peak  or 
any  bare  surface  of  rock,  in  order  to  determine  tlie  motion  of  the  ice.  It  is  a 
matter  of  deep  interest  with  reference  to  questions  connected  with  the  for- 
mer greater  extension  of  glaciers,  to  know  in  what  manner  flat  sheets  of  ice 
move  on  even  ground,  exhibiting  no  marked  slope.  It  may  l)e  possible  to 
ascertain,  after  a  certain  time,  by  the  change  of  position  of  poles  sunk  in 
the  ice,  whether  the  motion  follows  the  inecjualities  of  the  surface  or  is  de- 
termined by  the  lay  of  the  land  and  the  exposure  of  the  ice  to  the  atmos- 
pheric agents,  heat,  moisture,  wind,  etc.  It  would  be  of  great  interest  to 
ascertain  whether  there  is  any  motion  during  the  winter  season,  or  whether 
motion  takes  place  only  during  the  period  when  water  may  trickle  through 
the  ice.  The  jiolished  surfaces  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  glacier-ice  ex- 
hibit such  legible  signs  of  the  direction  in  wliich  the  ice  moves,  that  wher- 
ever ledges  of  rocks  are  exposed,  the  scratches  and  furrows  upon  their  sur- 
face may  serve  as  a  sure  register  of  its  progress ;  but  before  taking  this  as 
evidence,  it  should,  if  possiljle,  be  asceitained  that  such  surfaces  actually  be- 
long to  the  area  over  which  the  adjoining  ice  moves  during  its  expansion, 
leaving  them  bare  in  its  retreat. 

The  geological  agency  of  glaciers  Avill  no  doul)t  receive  additional  evi- 
dence from  a  careful  examination  of  this  point  in  the  Arctic  regions.  A 
moving  sheet  of  ice,  stretching  over  a  rocky  surface,  leaves  such  unmistak 
able  marks  of  its  ])assage  that  rocky  surfaces  which  have  once  been  glaci- 
ated, if  I  may  thus  express  the  ])eculiar  action  of  ice  upon  rock.«3,  namely, 
the  planing,  polishing,  scratching,  grooving,  and  furrowing  of  their  sur- 
faces, can  never  be  mistaken  for  any  thing  else,  and  'may  everywhere  be 
recogniz(!d  by  a  practiced  eye.     These  marks,  in  connection  with  trans- 


452  APPENDIX. 

ported  loose  materials,  drift,  and  boulders,  are  unmistakal)le  evidence  of 
the  great  extension  which  glaciers  once  had.  But  here  it  is  important  to 
discriminate  between  two  sets  of  facts,  wliich  have  generally  been  con- 
founded. In  the  proximity  of  existing  glaciers,  these  marks  and  these  ma- 
terials have  u  direct  relation  to  the  present  sheet  of  ice  near  by.  It  is  plain, 
for  instance,  that  the  polished  surfaces  about  the  Grimsel,  and  the  loose  ma- 
terials lying  between  the  glacier  of  the  Aar  and  the  Hospice,  are  the  work 
of  the  glacier  of  the  Aar  when  it  extended  beyond  its  present  limits,  and 
step  by  step  its  greater  extension  may  be  traced  down  to  Meyringcn,  and, 
in  connection  with  other  glaciers  fr(mi  other  valleys  of  the  Bernese  Ober- 
land,  it  may  be  tracked  as  far  as  Thun  or  Berne,  when  the  relation  to  the 
Alps  becomes  complicated  with  features  indicating  that  the  whole  valley 
of  Switzerland,  between  the  Aljjs  and  the  Jura,  was  once  occupied  by  ice. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  are  evident  signs  of  the  former  presence  of  local 
glaciers  in  the  Jura,  as,  for  instance,  on  the  Dent  de  Vaulion,  which  mark  a 
later  era  in  the  history  of  glaciation  in  Switzerland.  Now  the  traces  of  the 
former  existence  of  extensive  .sheets  of  ice  over  the  continent  of  North  Amer- 
ica are  everj'where  most  plainly  seen,  but  no  one  has  yet  undertaken  to  de- 
termine in  what  relation  these  glaciated  surfaces  of  past  agey  stand  to  the 
ice-fields  of  the  present  day  in  the  Arctics.  The  scientific  men  connected 
with  Captain  Hall's  expedition  would  render  science  an  important  service 
if  they  could  notice  the  trcyid  and  bearing  of  all  the  glacial  scratches  they 
may  observe  upon  denudatcd  surfaces  wherever  they  land.  It  would  be 
advisable  for  them,  if  possible,  to  break  off  fragments  of  such  glaciated  rocks, 
and  mark  with  an  arrow  their  bearing.  It  would  be  equally  imjjortant  to 
notice  how  far  the  loose  materials,  pebbles,  boulders,  etc.,  diSer  in  their  min- 
eralogical  character  from  the  surface  on  which  they  rest,  and  to  what  ex- 
tent they  are  themselves  polished,  rounded,  scratched,  or  furrow-ed,  and  also 
what  is  the  nature  of  the  clay  or  sand  which  holds  them  together.  It  would 
be  i)articularly  interesting  to  learn  how  far  there  are  angular  boulders  among 
these  loose  materials,  and  what  is  their  position  with  reference  to  the  com- 
pacted drift  made  up  of  rounded,  polished,  and  scratched  pebbles  and 
l)oulders.  Shoulil  an  opportunity  occur  of  tracing  the  loose  materials  of 
any  locality  to  some  rock  in  situ,  at  a  greater  or  less  distance,  and  the  na- 
ture of  the  materials  should  leave  no  doubt  of  their  identity,  this  would  af- 
ford an  invaluable  indication  of  the  direction  in  which  the  loose  materials 
have  traveled.  Any  indication  relating  to  the  differences  of  level  among 
such  materials  would  add  to  the  value  of  the  observation.  I  have  purpose- 
ly avoided  all  theoretical  considerations,  and  only  call  attention  to  the  facts 
which  it  is  most  important  to  ascertain,  in  order  to  have  a  statement  as  un- 
biased as  possible. 


■f  Ueports from  Captain  C.  F.  Hail  to  the  Secretary  of  t?ie  Navy. 

United  States  Steamship  Polaris,  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard, 
June  16, 1S71. 

Sir, — I  have  the  honor  to  report,  agreeably  to  your  instructions,  that  the 

steamship  Polaris,  under  my  command,  left  Wasinugton  Navy  Yard  at  12.30 


APPENDIX.  453 

P.M.,  Saturday,  10th  inst,,  and  arrived  at  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard  at  7 
o'clock  A.M.,  VVedne.sday,  14th  inst.,  in  sixty-two  hours  runninf^  time,  hav- 
injj  anchored  two  niffhts  und  laid  over  another  ni<^lit  at  Quarantine.  The 
working  of  the  engine  was  (juite  eiiual  to  my  expectations,  and  with  some 
slight  alterations  of  machinery,  suggested  l)y  Mr.  M'Kean,  who  will  have 
reported  to  the  Department,  will,  it  is  helieved,  prove  entirely  satisfactory. 
The  officers  and  crew  have  taken  hold  of  their  work  with  energy  and  ex-  , 
emj)lary  conduct.  *  *  *  j  Jiope  to  be  in  readiness  for  sailing  within  a 
week  or  ten  days. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

C.  F.  II.\ix. 
Commandiiij;  United  States  North  Polar  Expedition. 

Hon.  Geo.  M.  Robeson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Steamship  Polaris,  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  •June  27,  1B71. 
Sir, — I  have  the  honor  to  report  the  due  receipt  of  my  official  instruc- 
tions, bearing  date  9th  inst.,  and  waiting  my  arrival  here  on  the  14th  inst., 
but  not  heretofore  formally  acknowledged.  I  have  also  received  official 
letter,  24th  inst.,  witli  printed  copies  of  the  official  instructions ;  likewise, 
by  preceding  mails,  the  printed  blanks,  in  six  languages,  for  deposit  in 
copper  cylinders,  etc.  In  reply  to  in(iuiries,  24th  inst.,  I  beg  to  state  that  I 
hope  to  have  tlie  expedition  in  entire  readiness  to  sail  on  the  29th  inst., 
having  had  two  or  three  days'  unavoidable  detention,  and  shall  spare  no 
exertions  to  tliat  end.  I  shall  then  hope  to  reach  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland, 
on  or  before  the  lOtli  of  July,  and  II()lsteinl)org,  Greenland,  on  or  about  the 
25th  of  July  prox.  Before  sailing  I  shall  have  the  honor  to  report  some- 
what more  in  detail.     Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

C.  F.  Hall, 
Commnnding  United  States  North  Polar  Expedition. 
Hon.  Geo.  M.  Robebom,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Washington. 


United  States  Steamship /»o?arj«,  Harbor  of  New  London, 
Connecticut,  July  2, 1S71. 

Sir, — I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  *  *  *  *  i  left  New  York 
with  the  Polaris  on  the  29th  of  June,  at  7  o'clock  p.m.,  and  passing  through 
Hell  Gate  came  to  this  port,  where  I  arrived  at  11  a.m.  of  the  ;iOth. 

It  was  my  intention  to  proceed  on  my  cruise  directly  from  New  York,  up 
to  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of  the  29th,  but  finding  that  my  assistant 
engineer,  Wilson,  had  really  run,  that  it  was  difficult  to  get  a  reliable  en- 
gineer with  whom  I  was  acquainted  to  fill  his  place  at  New  Yo'-k,  and 
thinking  it  would  be  imprudent  to  go  to  sea  with  only  one  engineer,  I  re- 
solved to  run  into  tliis  port  and  procure  one,  where  I  was  well  acquainted, 
and  where  I  knew  T  should  succeed  in  getting  one  to  suit  me.  In  this  I 
have  been  entirely  successful.  I  have  employed  m  Wilson's  place  Alvin  A. 
Odell,  who  served  during  the  last  war  of  the  rebellion  as  an  acting  assistant 
engineer  of  the  navy,  and  was  honorably  discharged. 

While  at  New  York,  it  became  necessary  to  turn  into  hospital  Nathaniel 


454  APPENDIX. 

J.  Coffin,*  our  carpenter.  His  place  is  not  filled.  It  is  my  intention  to  fill  it 
with  a  serviceable  man  at  St.  Johns,  Newioiuulland,  at  the  same  rate  that 
was  to  be  allowed  him. 

The  following  changes  in  my  muster-roll  have  occurred  since  I  left  Wash- 
ington with  the  ship : 

1.  T.  L.  Herggien,  fireman,  deserted. 

2.  William  Jessup,  seaman,  deserted. 

3.  John  I'orter,  steward,  discharged  for  incapacity, 

4.  Charles  Branett,  cook,  deserted.     In  the  placL'  of  Branett  I  shipped 
Joseph  W^olf,  who  also  deserted. 

5.  I  have  shipped  an  excellent  cook  here  at  New  London,  by  the  name 
of  William  Jackson,  of  Arctic  experience. 

6.  William  Lintlermann,  seaman,  shipped  in  pla(;e  of  W'illiam  Jessup. 

7.  By  consent  of  Admiral  M.  Smith,  I  shipped  Frederick  Jamka,  as  ad- 
ditional seaman,  on  the  37th  of  June. 

8.  In  the  place  of  Berggren,  I  shipped  at  New  York  John  W.  Booth,  an 
experienced  fireman.     *     *    * 

It  is  my  purpose  to  go  to  sea  to-morrow  morning  at  3  o'clock.     ♦     *    ♦ 
Inclosed  is  muster-roll  of  the  oflUcers  and  crew. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant,  C.  F.  Hall, 

Commanding  North  Polar  Expedition. 
Hon.  Geo.  M.  Rousson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Washington,  D.  C. 


[B'/  Telegraph  from  New  London,  "  'necticut.] 

Jnly3,1871. 
To  Hon.  Geokge  M.  Robeson  : 

Sir, — The  Polans,  at  this  hour,  4  o'clock  a.m.,  under  way,  going  out  of 

New  London  harbor  for  sea.     Tlie  company  now  all  of  glorious  material, 

and  with  bright  hopes.     Letter  by  mail.  C.  F.  Hall, 

Commanding  North  Polar  Expedition. 


United  States  Steamship  PoZam,  St.  Johns, 
Newfoundland,  July  19, 1S7L 
SfR, — I  beg  to  advise  you  that  the  ship  is  now  all  ready  to  proceed.    For 
the  last  two  days  I  have  been  detained  in  endeavoring  to  obtain  a  carpen- 
ter, but  have  not  succeeded,  and  therefore  leave  without  one.     It  has  taken 
a  full  week  to  repair  the  steam  machinery.     *    *     * 

Your  obedient  servant,  C.  F.  Hall, 

Commanding  North  Polar  Expedition. 
Hon.  Geo.  M.  Koblson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Washinfiton,  U.  C. 


Holsteinborg,  Greenland,  August  1,  tS71, 
Lat  CC°  57',  long.  53°  6i>'  46". 

Sir, — I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that,  in  accordance  with  my  letter 
dated  July  19, 1871,  at  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  the  Polaris  left  that  port 

•Natlianiel  J.  CoflBn  was  sent  in  the  Congress  to  rejoin  the  Polarix. 


AITENDIX.  455 

at  3.30  P.M.  of  the  same  day,  and  proceeded  direct  to  Greenland,  in  compli- 
ance with  your  orders.  On  the  afternoon  of  July  27,  we  dropped  anchor  in 
the  harbor  of  Fiscanacs,  (ircenland,  one  of  the  Danish  ])orts,  lat.  03'  H'  N., 
where  the  expedition  remained  until  the  mornin<^  of  Jjly  29,  when  we  took 
our  course  alons?  up  the  coast  to  this  place,  arriving  here  at  10  o'clock  a.m., 
July  31,  yesterday. 

We  were  aj^rceahly  surprised,  on  entering  ITolsteinhorg  harbor,  to  find  in 
it  the  Swedish  exjjcdition,  consisting  of  a  brig  and  a  small  steamer,  under 
the  command  of  Fr,  W.  Von  Otter,  which  had  been  to  Disco  and  Uper- 
navik,  and  is  now  on  its  return,  ])rop()sing  to  resume  the  homeward  voyage 
to-day,  via  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland.  The  commander  kindly  offering  to 
forward  any  dispatches  I  may  have  for  you,  I  gladly  improve  the  oppor- 
tunity. 

With  the  exception  of  a  gale  that  broke  upon  us  on  the  evefiing  of  the 
day  we  left  Fiscanaes — a  gale  that  made  the  sea,  with  its  icebergs  all  around 
us,  vie  in  wild  grandeur  with  "  Greenland's  icy  mountains,"  along  which 
we  were  coasting — the  weather  has  been  exceedingly  line  from  W^ashington 
to  Ilolsteinborg. 

I  should  sooner  than  this  have  remarked  that  the  object  of  stopping  at 
the  port  of  Fiscanaes  was  to  secure,  i  ♦"possible,  Hans  Christian,  the  Esquimau 
dog-driver  and  hunter  of  Dr.  Kane's  expedition  up  Smith  Sound,  and  later, 
of  Dr.  Hayes's  expedition,  18G0-'G1,  in  the  same  direction ;  l)ut  there  we  as- 
certained that  this  native  was  at  Upernavik.  The  Swedish  expedition  not 
only  confirm  the  news  that  Ilans  is  at  Upernavik,  but  add  that  he  is  anx- 
iously awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  American  North  Polar  expedition,  that  he 
may  join  it. 

From  St.  Johns  to  this  place  the  Polaris  has  been  under  steam,  with  the 
exception  of  a  little  over  two  days,  one  of  which  we  were  becalmed,  and 
waited  through  the  day  for  a  Ijreeze.  Tifty  tons  of  coal  were  consumed 
from  St.  Johns  to  this  port.  Northerly  winds  have  prevailed,  but  what  has 
l)een  unfavorable  to  our  sailing  has  cleared  the  west  coast  of  Greenland  of 
the  ice-pack,  leaving  us,  beyond  all  doubt,  a  clear  passage  to  the  northward 
of  Baffin  Bay. 

The  Swedish  expedition  bring  highly  favorable  news  from  Upernavik : 
that  the  season  for  Arctic  navigation  is  better  than  known  for  several  years ; 
that  no  ice,  save  occasional  bergs,  is  to  be  found  between  here  and  Disco, 
and  between  the  latter  place  and  Upernavik  none  has  been  seen  for  several 
weeks. 

Governor  Elberg,  of  the  Ilolsteinborg  district,  residing  here,  has  proffered 
our  expedition  all  the  aid  he  can.  I  flwl  in  him  the  same  genial  soul  as  in 
1860,  when  I  spent  seventeen  days  in  this  harbor. 

Your  orders  anj  that,  if  I  do  not  hear  of  the  transport  before  reaching 
Holsteinborg,  for  me  to  remain  at  that  (this)  port  waiting  for  her  and  the 
supplies  as  long  as  the  object  of  the  expedition  will  permit  a  delay  for  that 
purpose.  After  waiting  as  long  as  is  safe,  undjr  all  these  circumstances,  as 
they  may  present  themselves,  I  am,  if  I  do  not  hear  of  the  transport,  to  pro- 
ceed to  Disco. 


456  APPENDIX. 

In  ronipliancc  witli  those  instnictions,  I  remain  here  wiiiting  for  the 
transport,  say  till  Saturday  niorninfr,  Auf,'i]st  5;  then,  if  nothinj?  is  seen  or 
heard  of  her,  the  anclior  of  the  Polnrin  will  he  weighed,  and  our  course 
taken  for  Goodhavn  (Lively),  in  the  island  of  Diseo. 

On  arriving  there  my  plan  will  he  to  make  arrangements  for  sending  on 
a  native  force  hiiraediately,  to  raise  about  tifty  tons  of  coal  at  the  Rittenhek 
mine,  situated  near  the  extreme  eastern  angle  of  Diseo  Island.  Specimens 
of  this  coal,  whicli  is  bituminous,  Baron  Von  Otter  has  just  exhiliited  to  me. 
It  is  found  to  he  of  fine  (juality  for  steaming  pui-poses,  and  must  be  made 
to  answer  our  necessities  in  case  the  transport  does  not  arrive  at  Goodhavn 
by  the  loth  of  August,  the  latest  day  I  can  prudently  delay  in  resuming  the 
voyage  for  the  North  Pole.  I  am  confident,  however,  that  the  transport  will 
be  in  time  for  the  expedition  at  the  proposed  places  of  rendezvous.  Gov- 
ernor Elbcrg  has  only  fifteen  tons  of  coal  (brought  here  in  a  Danish  sliip) 
on  hand,  and  signifies  his  willingness  to  let  me  have  two-thirds  of  it.  He 
informs  me  that  it  is  quite  doubtful  our  getting  a  supply  at  Disco,  other- 
wise than  by  mining  it,  as  already  foreshadowed. 

I  expected  to  get  a  supply  of  reindeer  furs  here,  but  none  are  to  be  had. 
the  reindeer,  of  late  years,  having  been  nearly  all  killed  ofl"in  this  neighbor- 
hood. On  Disco,  Upernavik,  and  Smith  Sound,  we  must  depend  for  our 
winter  furs  and  our  sledge-dogs. 

Baron  Von  Otter,  of  the  Swedish  expedition,  has  paid  two  visits  to  the 
Polarln,  taking  deep  interest  in  its  object.  He  has  kindly  furnished  me, 
for  you,  an  abstract  of  his  work  performed  since  leaving  Upernavik.  [See 
table  on  opposite  page.] 

The  columns  of  latitude  and  longitude  will  show  to  you  the  eastern  limit 
of  the  ice-pack  in  Davis  Strait,  a  matter  in  Avhich  you  will  be  interested, 
as  it  demonstrates  the  wide  iceberg  channel  for  the  PoUiris  to  navigate 
through  in  her  u])ward  course.     *    *     * 

The  whole  ship's  company  have  continued  in  good  health  and  spirits 
since  leaving  New  York,  and  all  remain  sanguine  tliat  next  year  our  dis- 
covery will  be  the  North  Pole.     I  have  the  honor  to  be,  (<ir, 
Your  obedient  servant,  C.  F.  Hall, 

Commanding  United  States  Nortli  Polar  Espedition. 
Hon.  Geo.  M.  Roueson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 


United  States  Steamship  Polaris,  Goodhavn,  Greenland,  Atigust  17, 1S71, 
Lat.  69°  14' 41"  N.,  long.  53°  34' W. 

Sir, — I  have  the  honor  to  report  the  proceedings  of  the  North  Polar  ex- 
pedition since  sending  you  my  dispatches  from  Holsteinborg,  dated  August 
1, 1871,  which  dispatches  were  forwarded  by  the  hands  of  Baron  Von  Otter, 
commanding  the  Swedish  expedition.  Therein  I  indicated  to  you  my 
purpose  to  remain  at  Holsteinborg  till  Saturday,  August  5,  for  the  trans- 
port, and  then,  if  it  had  not  arrived,  to  weigh  the  anchor  of  the  Polaris  and 
proceed  at  once  to  this  port.  I,  however,  only  waited  till  the  p.m.  of  Au- 
gust 3,  when  I  took  my  departure,  arriving  here  at  Goodhavn  at  2  p.m.  of 
the  4th,  just  twenty -four  hours  from  the  time  of  leaving  Holsteinborg.     I 


APPENDIX. 


467 


DEEP-SEA  SOUNDINGS  AND  SEA  TEMPEUATrRES  OBTAINED  ON  BOARD  OF  HIS 
SWEDISH  MAJESTY'S  STEAM  VESSEL  /.V(.A,V;/i7M,  BETWEEN  THE  LATITIDES 
OF  HOLSTEINBORO  AND  UPERNAVIK,  JULY,  1871. 


where 
t%  were 
1. 

s 

TEMPEBATUHE. 

Surface. 

Bottom. 

Date. 

«|i 

4 

a     

RiMiKKi:  Intermediate  larfue  tempenture. 

si's 

~ 

'Z        SwriliKh 

Mill  Cm. 

=  ll 

a 

a.     ttierrnoiii- 

thertnulU' 

J 

i 

&    ,      «'«'• 

eter. 

July. 

(Di  wo.) 

c. 

F. 

10 

Mouth  of  X.  Fiord, 

M    +  6.6 

80 

+  6.!i. 

10 

8  miles  off  tlie   eald 
Fiord.       1 

27  ,  +  4.6 

35.5 

+  0.0,  0.0,  6.2,  6.8,  6.6,  6.0,  0.0. 

10 

70  22  N.    64  22  W. 

146    +  6.0 

27.0 

+  6.0.  6.8.  2.0.  2.0.  3.0.  4..5. 

11 

70  -ie  N.    54  20  W. 

161     -j-  4.6 
274    +  7.0 

28.6       +  4.5;  5.0,  C.O,  5.0,  7.8,  8.0,  8,5,  4.3,  4.0, 

7.0. 

12 

70  :«  N.    52  00  W. 

26.75    +  7.0,  8.0.    (Amonc  tilacier-ice.) 

13 

70  43  N.    52  0:t  W. 

410     +  7.0 

24.26 

+  7.0,  8.0,  8.2,  10.0. 

13 

70  r,3  N.    52  IS  W. 

;i97     +  8.0 

27.0 

+   10.0,  10.0,  10.0,  6.0,  10.0. 

13 

71  07  N.    52  42  W. 

2;!5 

-j-4.0 

20.76 

+  10.0,  s.O,  6.0,  t<.S,  9.0,  4.0. 

14 

71  27  N.    53  58  W. 

122 

27.0 

+  6.0,  9.0,  .5.0,  6.0,  4..5,  7.5,  8.2,  8.6,  7.0, 

0.0, 

6.0,  7.0,  8.0,  7.0,  6.2,  6.0. 

) 

IS 

72  37  N.    66  62  W. 

67 

-i-  6.8 

26.0 

+  6.0,  4.2,  .5.3,  5.0,  6.6. 

i 

18 

72  32  N.    58  OH  W. 

116 

+  4.2 

26.76     +  4.2,  .i.e.  2.B,  3.4; 

10 

72  20  N.    69  'M  W. 

172 

+  3.4 

2,5.75     +  1.5,  0.8,  0.,5,  1.5.                                         1 

19 

72  04  N.    59  .'.O  W. 

227 

+  1.2 

26.75     +  1.8.  5.0,  4.5.  .^0. 

oi 

20 

71  10  N.    58  M  W. 

1(19 

-f  6.2 

25.75 

+  6.0,  6.0,  0..5,  .5.6,  6.O.,  2.6,  3.8. 

s 

21 

70  23  N.    59  01  W. 

j 

276 

+  1.6 

23.76 

+  1.5,  1.0,  0.2,  0.2,  0.8,  1.6,  0.8,  0.0,  0.5, 

1.5. 
--  1.5,  2.4,  0..5,  0.2,  1.0. 

0 

22 

69  62  N.    68  32  W. 

199 

+  1.6 

26.0 

■  l 

82 

1 

69  19  N.    68  IS  W. 

183 

--  1.2 

26.0 

-  -  1.0,  5.0,  3.0,  4.0,  3.0,  2.0,  2.6,  3.6,  4.0, 
0.2,  4.0,  2.0,  0.0,  0..5,  O.S,  0.2,  1.0. 

i 

24 

68  08  N.    68  47  W. 

169 

+  1-4 

27.26 

--  1.4,  0.5,  0..5,  l.!5,  1.0,  0.0,  1.0,  1.8,  0.8, 
--  1.(1,  O.S,  1.0,  3,(t,  0,2,  1,2,  0.0,  0.0. 

tt 

24 

67  57  N.    5!)  07  W. 

279 

+  o.s 

26.0 

c 

25 

67  26  N.    5S  45  W. 

930 

±  0.0 

25.0      +  0.0  (amoiicr  hfiivy  ice),  0.5,  0.0. 

<        : 

26 

67  20  N.     68  29  W. 

692 

+  0.4 

25.5       +  0.4,  2.0,  2.0,  2.5.                                      J 

26 

67  43  N.    57  27  W. 

128 

+  3.2 

31.0       ±  3.4,  4.8,  4.2,  0. 

26 

67  50  N.    67  04  W. 

132 

+  4.0 

31.0       +  4.2,  4.8  6.0. 

26 

67  59  N.    56  33  W. 

98 

+  4.8 

31.76     +  5.(1,  4.8. 

ye 

68  08  N.    66  03  W. 

48 

+  6.1 

30.75     +  5.0,  .5.2. 

27 

68  20  N.    64  .65  W. 

264 

+  6.4 

31.76     +  .5.0,  .^..-i. 

27 

68  27  N.    6t  Hi  W. 

215 

+  4.6 

31.76     +  5.5,  4.6. 

2T 

68  01  N.    54  47  W. 
To  Holsteiubdig... 

131 

+  6.9 

32.0       +  4.6,  6.9. 
+  5.9,  4.8. 

Holsteinborg,  August  1, 1S71. 


Fb.  W.  Von  Ottkr, 
Commanding  Swedish  Greenland  E.^pedition. 


soon  found  that  the  highest  official  of  North  Greenland,  Karrup  Smith, 
chief  inspector,  was  not  at  home,  but  was  on  his  annual  tour  to  the  princi- 
pal settlements  of  his  district,  and  was  not  expected  to  return  for  two  or 
three  weeks.  I  lost  no  time,  however,  in  paying  ray  respects  to  the  inspcci- 
or's  lieutenant,  Fr.  Lossen,  who  received  me  very  cordially.  As  he  could 
converse  only  in  the  Danish  tongue,  the  wife  of  Inspector  Smith  became  our 
interpreter.  On  explaining  to  Lieutenant  Lossen  the  object  of  the  expe- 
dition visiting  this  port,  he  exhibited  some  degree  of  hesitation  in  render- 
ing to  it  that  aid  and  co-operation  we  had  a  right  to  expect ;  but  great 
was  my  success  when  the  Hon.  -Mrs.  Smith  voluntarily  took  upon  herself 
the  task  to  advocate  warmly  the  necessity  of  the  Danish  Government, 
through  all  its  officials,  to  aid,  in  whatever  way  and  to  whatever  extent 
might  be  desired,  so  f^reat  and  glorious  a  country  as  the  United  States. 
By  the  advice  of  the  chief  inspector's  wife,  Mrs.  Smith,  I  sent  off  a  boat- 


458  APPENDIX. 

party  to  atti'inpt  to  find  and  recall  her  husband.  First  Mate  II.  C.  Ches- 
ter was  till'  orticer  I  dotailod  for  tills  service.  He  l^'ft  here  at  meridian  of 
Aufjust  G  for  Jucol)  Iluvcn,  hit.  Mf  lij'  N.,  lon^'.  r,V  00'  W.,  and  not  tind- 
injf  tlie  inspector  there,  proceeded  northward  to  Rittenbek,  lat.  09-  41'  N., 
lou^'.  51"  13'  W.,  where  he  was  found.  The  inspectoral  once  responded 
to  my  rcf[uest,  and  arrived  here  with  his  boat,  in  company  of  Mr.  Chester's, 
at  2  A.M.  of  Auf^ust  11.  Mr.  Chester  performed  this  service  with  alacrity 
and  fidelity.  The  whole  distance  voyaged  was  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
tive  miles,  and  performed  entirely  under  oars,  except  two  hours'  sailing. 

Before  the  return  of  Mr.  Chester  and  the  arrival  of  Inspector  Smith,  the 
United  States  steamship  Cf/itgrtHX,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Davenport, 
came  into  port,  relieving  me  of  a  mountain  load  of  an.viety.  This  eventful 
day  was  August  10.  I  have  omitted  to  state  that,  before  leaving  Ilolstein- 
borg,  I  wrote  out  full  particulars  of  my  puq)oses  and  plans  for  infonnation 
of  the  commander  of  the  transport  on  her  arrival  there,  and  left  the  same 
in  charge  of  Governor  Elberg,  with  instruction.s  that  the  same  should  be 
dispatched  by  ])oat  to  the  transport  the  moment  she  should  appear  in  the 
ofting,  that  the  delay  in  making  harbor  at  Ilolsteinborg  might  be  obviated. 
Captain  Davenport,  in  his  zeal  and  great  go.yd  judgment,  had  decided,  how- 
ever, to  crowd  on  all  sail  direct  from  St.  Johns,  Newfoundlanil,  to  Good- 
havn  (this  port).  I  had  made  uj)  my  mind,  and  had  so  stated  it  in  my  let- 
ter left  at  Ilolsteinborg  for  the  commander  of  the  transport,  to  prolong  our 
stop  at  this  port  to  August  15,  and  not  later,  for  the  trans|)ort ;  in  the  mean 
time  to  obtain  coal,  as  indicated  in  my  letters  to  you  from  Ilolsteinborg. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  inspector  of  North  Greenland,  Karrup  Smith,  he 
signified  at  once  liis  readiness  to  extend  to  the  North  Polar  expedition  all 
fhe  aid  and  co-operation  as  desired  by  your  letters  to  him.  The  large  Gov- 
ernment store-house  he  has  thrown  open  for  the  stores  and  provisions  to  be 
left  here  on  deposit  for  tlic  future  use  of  the  North  Polar  expedition,  and 
take  the  same  in  trust,  promising  to  have  all  possible  care  taken  of  them 
by  his  people  till  called  for.  In  proof  of  the  spirit  with  which  Inspector 
Smith  enters  into  this  expedition,  in  behalf  of  the  Danish  Government  he 
represents,  all  com))ensation  is  refused  for  the  use  of  said  store-house  and 
for  the  trust  referred  to. 

There  are  two  persons  in  the  employ  of  the  Danish  authority  at  Uper- 
navik,  the  same  being  within  the  district  of  Inspector  Sm.ith,  that  I  con- 
sider will  be  of  great  service  to  the  expedition  I  have  the  honor  to  com- 
mand, and  therefore,  after  mature  consideration,  I  have  concluded  that  I 
shall  meet  your  approval  in  trying  to  secure  their  services.  The  one  is 
Hans  Christian,  the  dog-driver  and  hunter  of  Dr.  Kane's  expedition  of 
1853-'55,  and  the  other  a  Dane,  by  the  name  of  Jensen,  formerly  of  Dr. 
Hayes's  expedition.  Hon.  Inspector  Smith,  although  short  of  help  in  Gov- 
ernment service,  assures  me  that  every  possible  exertion  will  be  made  by 
him,  and  by  those  in  authority  under  him,  to  supply  these  men  to  this  ex- 
pedition.    *    *    * 

At  meridian,  the  anchor  of  the  Polaris  will  be  weighed,  when  her  prow 
will  be  turned  to  the  north. 


Al'I'KNDIX.  459 

In  two  (lays  wc  oufjlit  to  bo,  and  shall  most  likely  1)0,  in  tho  port  of 
Upernavik  ;  on  concludinf^  Imsinoss  thoro,  which  will  occupy  two  or  three 
days,  the  only  work  remaining  to  be  done  will  be  to  push  on  directly  for 
tho  North  Pole. 

The  season  being  so  far  advanced,  my  plan  and  purpose  is  now,  that  on 
arriving  at  the  cape,  your  orders  direct  me  to  make  Cape  Dudley  Digges, 
to  steam  directly  for  Smith  Sound,  and  thence  make  all  i)ossiblo  attempts 
to  find  passage  on  the  irat  side  of  the  sound  from  Cape;  Isabella,  up  to 
Kennedy  Channel,  and  thence  on  and  up  to  the  very  pole  itself.  It  is  ad- 
visable that  a  deposit  of  j)rovision8  and  ammunition  should  l)e  made  from 
the  Pohtrin  on  some  island  near  Cape  Alexander,  at  the  entrance  oast  side 
of  Smith  Sound,  for  our  preservation  in  case  she  should  become  ice-wreck- 
ed in  the  desperate  battle  she  is  about  to  engage,  and  for  which  she  has 
been  so  thorougldy  prepared  by  a  most  thoughtful  and  liberal  Government. 
This  is  a  most  extraordinary  open  season  for  Arctic  navigation,  as  reported 
l)y  all  who  have  already  tried  it,  therefore  your  honor  may  rest  assured  that 
this  expedition  will  imjjrove  the  opportunity  to  its  fullest  extent. 

I  close  this  hasty  dispatch  by  acknowledging  the  reception  of  your  letter 
of  Juno  18,  inclosing  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Geo.  E.  Tyson  as  assistant 
navigator,  also  that  of  ilr.  Odell  as  assistant  engineer  of  the  Polaris,  which 
appointments  I  have  delivered  to  these;  parties,  giving  them  great  satisfac- 
tion and  encouragement.     I  have  the  honor  to  be,  yours,  respectfully, 

C.  F.  Hall, 
Commanding  the  ITnited  States  Polar  Expedition. 

Hon.  Geo.  M.  Robeson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Note.  —  I  ought  not  to  close  this  dispatch  without  expressing  to  the 
Preddent,  to  yoit,  and  to  my  God,  my  heart's  gratitude  for  the  perfect  man- 
ner in  which  every  thing  has  been  carried  out  by  your  Department  to  in- 
sure success  in  the  object  had  in  view  by  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States.      Your  obedient  servant,  C.  F.  Hall. 

IIou.  Geo.  M.  KoiiESON,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 


United  States  Steamship  Polaris,  Upernavik,  Greenland,  August  20,  1S71, 
North  lat.  72°  46' ;  west  long.,  50°  02'. 

Sir, — I  have  the  honor  to  report  the  progress  of  the  United  States  steam- 
ship Polaris  since  August  17,  1871,  the  date  of  my  las',  dispatches,  which 
were  to  be  delivered  to  you  by  Captain  Davenport,  commanding  the  United 
States  steamship  Congress. 

I  heaved  anchor  and  left  the  harbor  of  Goodhavn  at  %  p.m.,  August  17, 
after  an  aifectionate  farewell  from  the  commander  and  officers  of  the  Con- 
gress, who,  by  your  order,  have  given  me  all  possible  assistance  in  carry- 
ing out  the  final  arrangements  of  the  expedition. 

At  the  moment  of  starting,  Hon.  Karrup  Smith  paid  me  a  short  visit, 
bidding  farewell,  and  intrusting  to  my  care  a  package  to  the  address  of  Dr. 
Rudolph,  governor  of  Upernavik,  whom  he  acquainted  with  the  character 
of  the  expedition,  and  instructed  in  regard  to  my  wants. 


4f;0  AITENDIX. 

Hon.  Karriip  Smith  also  infortnc*!  me  Jic  lia<l  Ifamr-d  from  a  DaniHti  ves- 
Hcl  at  an(hr»r  onthido  the  harbor,  that  Dr.  Kiidolph  was  about  to  h-ave 
Upcrnavik  and  rr-turn  to  Denmark  on  a  Danish  vessel  loaded  with  Idiibber 
and  skins,  aceuniulated  at  Upernavik  diirinj^  the  preeedinj^  year.  Know- 
inf;  my  prineipal  object  in  proceeding  to  Upernavik,  whi(;h  i.4  tliat  of  pro- 
eurinf^  skinH  and  Hecurinf^  the  services  of  Hans  Christian  and  Jensen,  he 
adviscil  me  to  mak(;  all  possible  speed  diirinf^  the  voyrtj^e  tf»  Upernavik  in 
order  to  liave  an  interview  \vith  (ioverr.or  Itiidolph,  in  whose  wiliin^^ness 
and  capal.»ility  of  (-omplylng  with  my  wishes  he  placed  the  fullest  con- 
fidence. 

Traversing  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  in  thirty- 
three  and  a  half  hours,  W(!  arrived  at  11, W  I'.M.,  August  IH,  at  Upernavik. 
where,  after  experiencing  some  difficulty  in  arousing  the  inhabitants  from 
their  deep  slumbers,  Mr.  Elberg,  tlnf  new  governor  of  the  settlement  and 
son  of  the  well-known  governor  of  Holsteinborg,  immediately  arrived  on 
board  the  vessel  with  the  hoped-f<jr  tidings  of  Dr.  Kiidolph's  presence  at 
Upernavik.  To  him  I  intrusted  the  letters  of  Hon.  Karruj)  Hniith  to  Dr, 
Rudolph,  whf;  sof)n  afterward  gave  me  the  pleasure  of  his  amiable  ac- 
()uaintanee  in  company  with  Governor  Elberg. 

Most  readily  and  cordially  (Governor  liudolph  complied  with  all  my 
wishes,  and  agreed  to  dispatch  two  kyactks  (one-man  boats  of  tlu;  natives), 
with  letters  to  Hans  (Jhristian,  of  Proven,  about  fifty  miles  to  the  south- 
ward, and  to  Jensen,  of  Tossac,  the  same  distance  to  the  northward,  in- 
forming them  of  my  desire  of  their  services,  and  to  secure  their  readiness 
of  leaving  their  respective  residences  whenever  one  of  our  boats  should 
call  on  Hans,  and  the  steamship  on  Jensen. 

Governor  Kudolph  also  proposed  that  Governor  Elberg  should  accom- 
pany me  on  our  voyage  to  Tossac,  in  order  to  assist  me  in  se(!uring  the 
services  of  Jensen,  procuring  dogs,  dog  and  seal  skins,  and  whatever  might 
be  required,  and  also  to  enable  Jensen,  who  holds  the  position  of  govern- 
or of  Tossac,  t<^)  leave  his  post  by  transferring  the  public  ])ropeity  and  ac- 
counts to  some  other  suitable  person. 

I  have  also,  by  the  courtesy  of  Dr,  Rudolph,  l»cen  enabled  to  procure 
some  dogs,  dog  and  seal  skins,  as  also  a  small  addition  of  coal. 

At  Ji'^on  of  August  19, 1  dispatched  a  boat  and  boat's  crew,  under  com- 
mand of  Mr,  Chester,  the  first  mate,  with  orders  to  proc(!ed  to  Proven  and 
return  with  the  utmost  speed  with  Hans  Christian  and  family,  when  I  at 
on(;e  shall  heave  anchor  and  start  for  Tossac. 

P,8. — The  Danish  brig,  which  is  to  return  to  Denmark  with  Governor 
Rudolph,  and  also  to  carry  our  mail,  starts  at  midnight,  and  I  therefore  am 
compelled  to  close  my  report ;  but  I  may  nmiark  that  Governor  Rudolph, 
who  has  been  in  this  portion  of  the  country  for  a  period  of  over  thirty 
years,  thinks  this  year  to  be  more  favorable  for  any  northern  voyage  than 
any  year  gone  or  to  come. 

Mr,  Chester  has  returned  with  Hans  Christian  and  family,  traversing  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  miles  in  a  remarkably  short  time,  considering  that 
he  had  to  depend  upon  oars,  the  wind  being  most  unfavorable  during  the 


APPENDIX.  461. 

I'Dtin:  time.     He  reached  Proven  iit  11  r.M.,  AtigUHt  19,  and  wtartcd  on  his 
return  at  H  a.m.,  August  20,  arriving  here  at  H.'M)  1'..m. 

My  intention  to  Htart  on  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Clienter  I  am  eom])clled  to 
nUamhm,  an  Governor  Klberg,  who  will  kindly  assist  me  in  securing  tlie 
services  of  Jensen,  and  procuring  an  a<lditional  supply  of  furs,  can  not 
leave  this  place  before  12  o'clock  to-morrow,  and  I  therefore  liave  set  this 
time  for  our  departure.     Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

(.".  F.  IlAi.r,, 
Commaiuliog  United  States  Nuvul  I'ulur  Expedition 
lion.  Geo,  M.Roiiehon,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

Augmt  21, 12,;}0  a.m.  Just  received  news  from  Tossac  that  Jensen  is  will- 
ing to  uccoui|)uny  the  expedition. 

C.  F.  Hall. 


Imtructiom  to  Captain  Davenpout, 

Navy  Department,  July  18, 1871. 

8in, — As  soon  as  the  United  Ptates  steamship  Congrcm,  under  your  com- 
mand, is  ready,  and  lias  re(;eived  on  board  the  stores  for  the  use  of  tJie  ex- 
pediti(m  toward  the  North  Pole,  you  will  proceed  with  her,  with  all  dis- 
patch, l)y  such  route  as  you  may  find  most  expeditious,  to  the  coast  of 
Greenland. 

If  you  can  make,  without  any  extraordinary  risk,  tlie  port  of  Jiively,  in 
the  island  of  Disco,  you  will  proceed  to  that  place  and  deliver  to  the  steam- 
ship J'olur'iH  the  stores  you  have  for  the  use  of  the  expedition,  taking  the 
receipt  of  Captain  Hall  for  the  same,  if  you  fin<l  the  Polarin  there,  of  if  sho 
arrives  within  a  reasonable  time.  Should  she  not  arrive  at  Lively,  how- 
ever, within  a  reasonable  time  after  your  arrival  there,  you  will  land  your 
supplies  for  her,  and  see  them  stored,  if  jiossible,  under  the  direction  of  the 
authorities,  to  be  delivered  to  Captain  Hall  on  his  arrival. 

If  you  lind  that  you  can  not  safely  enter  the  port  of  Lively,  in  Disco,  you 
will  make  the  best  of  your  way  to  Holsteinborg,  and  there  deliver  your 
stores  to  tlu;  PohiriH,  or  leave  th(!m  for  her  in  like  manner  as  above  directed, 
after  waiting  for  her  there  for  a  reasonable  time.  If  you  find  the  Polaris  at 
IIolst(!inborg,  an<l  learn  that  tlie  (hmfjrcHii  can  enter  Lively,  jiroceed  in  com- 
pany to  that  port;  or  if  you  should  at  Holsteinborg,  or  otherwise,  learn  that 
she  has  proceeded  to  Lively,  you  will  endeavor  to  reach  her  there,  as  it  is 
the  earnest  wish  of  the  Department  that  the  Polarin  receive  on  board  her 
stores  at  that  port,  if  possible.  In  case  of  the  happening  of  any  contin- 
gency  not  contemplate*!  by  these  instructions,  the  Department  must  leave 
the  course  to  be  pursued  to  your  judgment,  with  the  understanding  and 
direction  that  you  are  sent  for  tlu!  puqmse,  if  practicable,  of  actually  com- 
municating and  leaving  the  supplies  with  the  PohiriH  at  Lively,  and  \f  ^ot 
practicable  there,  then  at  Holsteinborg;  and  that  it  is  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance that  she  should  receive  the  supplies,  and  at  a  port  as  near  Lively 
as  possible;  and  that  if,  for  any  n^ison,  you  should  not  be  able  to  commu- 
nicate with  iier  or  hear  of  her  before  the  season  makes  it  necessary  for  you 


462  AITENDIX. 

to  leave,  you  arc  to  leave  the  supplies  for  her,  as  above  directed,  at  Lively, 
if  possible,  and  if  not,  at  Ilolsteinhorg. 

In  any  event,  it  may  be  well,  if  you  can  do  so  without  too  much  delay, 
to  endeavor,  on  your  way  to  Lively,  to  conimunicate  with  Ilolsteinborjj, 
and  ascertain  the  whereabouts  t<f  the  Polnrin.  If  she  has  not  arrived  there. 
you  can  leave  word  of  your  departure  to  Disco,  and  instruct  Captain  Hall 
to  follow  you  without  delay. 

I  inclose,  for  your  information  and  guidance,  a  pamphlet  which  contains 
the  orders  issued  I)y  the  Department  to  Captain  Hall.  I  nlso  inclose  a  let- 
ter to  tlie  Danish  authorities  at  Lively  or  Holsteinborg,  requesting  them  to 
render  you  assistance  and  facilities  in  prosecuting  your  duties  under  these 
orders.     *    *    *    Very  respectfully,  etc., 

Geo.  M.  Robeson, 

Srcretary  of  the  Navy. 
Captain  II.  K.  Davknpobt, 

Commanding  United  States  Steamship  Congress,  New  York. 


The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  the  Danish  Authorities. 

Navy  Uepartmeut,  July  18, 1S71. 
Sin, — The  United  States  steamship  Congregx,  under  the  command  of  Cap- 
iain  II.  K.  Davenport,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  visits  the  port  within  your 
jurisdiction  for  the  purpose  of  delivering  supplies  to  the  expedition  to- 
ward the  North  Pole,  under  the  charge  of  Charles  F.  Hall. 

In  the  event  of  the  CongresH  not  meeting  the  PohtriH  on  her  arrival,  and 
of  her  being  compelled  to  return  to  the  United  States  before  the  vessels  can 
communicate,  I  have  given  directions  that  the  supi)lie8  be  stored  until  Cap- 
tain Hall  iirrives  in  the  port  to  receive  them. 

I  have  the  honor  to  request  that  you  will  afford  to  the  commander  of  the 
CongrcsH  such  assistance  and  facilities  as  may  be  in  your  power  and  consist- 
ent with  your  duty  toward  your  Government  to  enable  liim  to  oliey  the 
orders  from  this  Department.  Accept  the  assurance  that  any  and  all  helj) 
you  may  be  able  to  render  Captain  Davenport  will  be  appreciated  and  ac- 
knowledged by  the  Government  of  the  United  States. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant,  Geo.  M.  Robeson, 

Secretary  of  the  Navy. 
Ills  Danish  Majkstv's  Govkbnob,  at  Lively,  or  Holsteinborg, 
Coast  of  Greenland. 


Letters  from  Captain  H.  K.  Davenport  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

United  States  Steamship  Conr/resa  (second  rate), 
St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  August  2, 1871. 

Sib, — I  sent  you  a  telegram  announcing  ray  arrival  at  this  port  on  the 
let  inst. 

I  made  the  passage  from  New  York  in  five  days  and  eighteen  hours,  un- 
der steam  and  sail.  The  weather  was  light,  dense  fog  prevailing  most  of 
the  way,  so  much  so  that  I  got  observations  of  the  sun  but  on  three  occa- 


APPENDIX.  463 

sions.     I  have  filled  up  with  coal,  and  lioi)c  to  do  as  well  the  remainder  of 
the  voya<^e.     *     +     * 

I  expect  to  return  to  this  port  about  the  first  week  of  Sei)toml)('r ;  but  if 
I  am  not  "up  to  time"'  there  need  be  no  cause  for  anxiety,  as  the  winds 
may  be  unfavorable  for  a  quick  passaj^e,  in  addition  to  detention  at  Disco. 

I  was  surprised  to  learn  that  the  I'olnvin  left  here  only  six  days  prior  to 
my  arrival.  She  will  not  be  many  davs  ahead  of  me  in  arriving  at  Disco, 
unless  some  imforeseen  occurrence  impedes  my  progress. 

Tiie  first  icebergs  which  we  have  seen  were  otf  this  port.  There  were 
about  fifteen  in  sight  at  one  time ;  .something  of  a  i»remonition  of  what  we 
are  to  expect.     I  shall  telegraph  you  inunediately  on  my  return. 

As  the  mail  leaves  here  but  once  a  fortnight,  the  consul  will  telegraph 
you  when  we  get  off. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant,  II.  K.  Davknpoht, 

Captain,  CommaudiDg  Congress. 

Hon.  Geo.  M.  Robkhon,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Washington,  D.  C. 


United  States  Steamtihip  CoMjrcHit  (second  rate).    At  sen,  August  21, 1871, 
Lilt.  03°  48'  N.  long.,  58°  3'  W. 

Sib, — I  inclose  copy  of  a  correspondence  between  liis  Danish  Majesty's 
inspector  at  Gpodhavn  (Port  Lively)  and  myself,  which  speaks  for  itself. 

If  what  I  said  meets  Avith  the  ajjproval  of  the  Department,  I  trust  that 
the  recognition  of  the  civilities  extended  to  the  Congress  and  the  Polaris 
will  not  be  lost  sight  of  by  the  Government. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant,  H.  K.  Davenport, 

•  Captain,  Commanding  Congress. 

Hon.  Geo.  M.  Roubso.v,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Washington,  D.  C. 


GoodhavD,  August  12, 1871. 

Deak  Sik, — I  intended  this  forenoon,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Smith,  to  pay 
a  visit  to  you  and  to  Captain  Davenport,  but  feeling  myself  not  quite  well, 
and  adding  to  this  the  bad  weather,  I  beg  you  to  excuse  me  for  not  paying 
my  respect.s  to-day.  You  would  oblige  me  very  much  by  giving  Hon.  Cap- 
tain Davenport  my  compliments,  and  pray  him  to  excuse  this  delay. 

At  home  I  am  at  your  service,  if  you  should  wisli  any  information  that  I 
am  able  to  give.  I  beg  you,  .ir,  to  give  ray  thanks  to  Dr.  Bessel  for  the 
great  care  he  takes  of  our  sick  peoph;. 

The  store-house  of  the  opposite  shore  is  open  to  you — when  you  address 
to  Mr.  Lessen — whenever  you  wish  to  commence  removing  the  provisions ; 
but  it  is  necessary  to  r  'ace  lowest  such  things  that  are  not  damaged  by 
moisture. 

I  beg  you  be  so  kind  as  to  tell  me  at  what  time  the  service  of  the  Sunday 
will  be  over,  as  I  hope  then  to  have  the  honor  of  visiting  the  Polaris  and 
the  Congress,    I  am,  dear  sir,  very  res2)ectfully  yours, 

Earkup  Smith. 

Hod.  Captain  C.  F.  Hall,  United  States  Steamship  Polaris. 


464  APPENDIX. 

Ooodhuvn,  August  IS,  IsA. 
Sin, — It  was  a  groat  honor  and  satisfaction  to  mc,  l»y  your  letter  of  ye»- 
tcrdiiy,  to  receive  your  acknowledj^nient  of  our  good  will  concerning  the 
ships  of  the  United  States,  Co/i'jnm  and  Pottirin. 

By  tills  I  assure  that  every  effort  shall  be  made  to  keep  the  deposit  for 
Pol^iriH  'nstrusted  to  our  care  as  safe  as  our  own  stores. 

I  am,  sir,  with  the  highest  respect,  your  obedient  .servant, 

Kauuup  Smith, 

Inspector  in  North  Greenland. 
Flon.  Captain  Da  vknpobt,  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

Commanding'  United  States  Steum»Iiip  Congress. 


United  States  Steamsliip  Conjfrc**  (second  rate), 
Goodiiavn,  Disco,  Au;,'ust  7,  ls71. 

Siu, — On  the  eve  of  my  departure  for  the  United  States,  I  embrace  the  oc- 
casion to  exjjress  my  warmest  acknowledgments  for  the  kindness  and  court- 
esy which  you  have  been  good  enough  to  extend  to  myself  and  those  under 
my  comuiand,  as  well  as  to  Captain  Hall  and  the  expediti(jii  which  he  has 
in  charge ;  but  more  than  all,  for  the  promptness  with  which  you  placed 
the  Government  store-house  at  my  disposition  for  the  stores  of  the  Polaris. 

I  shall  not  fail  to  luring  to  the  attention  of  the  Government  these  mani- 
festations of  good  will  which  have  characteri/.cd  Ills  Danish  Majesty's  rep- 
resentative in  this  part  of  his  dominions,  and  1  am  sure  that  I  but  antici- 
pate the  recognition  of  these  civilities  l)y  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  of  the 
United  States,  through  our  minister  at  Copenhagen. 

In  bidding  you  adieu,  I  beg  leave  to  subscriijc  myself,  with  high  respect, 
your  obedient  servant,  II.  K.  Davenpout, 

Captain  United  States  Navy,  Commanding  Congress. 

His  Danish  Majesty's  Inspector, 

Kaukit  Smitu,  Esq.,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  GoodhavD.  ' 


United  States  Steamship  Cow^rew  (second  rate), 
St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  Au;^ust  28,  ISTl. 

Sm, — I  beg  leave  to  submit  the  following  detailed  report  of  my  proceed- 
ings since  leaving  this  port  on  the  3d  of  August. 

I  left  St.  Johns  early  on  the  morning  of  that  date  and  proceeded,  under 
steam  or  sail,  or  both,  as  circumstances  warranted,  direct  for  Goodhavn* 
(Port  Lively),  in  the  island  of  Disco. 

Nothing  of  special  interest  occurred  during  the  passage.  We  passed 
numerous  icebergs,  but,  fortunately,  fell  in  with  no  "  pack-ice,"  the  season, 
so  I  am  informed,  being  unusually  open. 

I  arrived  at  Goodhavn  on  the  10th  of  August,  seven  days  from  St.  Johns, 
and  fifteen  from  New  York,  including  two  days'  stoppage  here,  coaling 
ship — less  tlian  thirteen  running  days. 

On  approaching  the  harbor,  a  boat  was  observed  coming  out,  on  board 
of  which  was  Captain  Hall,  of  the  Polaris.    He  came  on  board,  and  accom- 

*  Ooodbavu  is  the  proper  name  of  the  port.    The  Danes  do  not  call  it  Port  Lively. 


AITENDIX.  465 

panicd  mc  in  to  tlio  ancliomgc.  His  di'lijfht  at  seeing  the  Congrem  was 
unspeakable;  but  it  fell  sliort  of  liis  astonishment  at  the  rapidity  of  my 
passage,  and  the  dispatch  of  the  Department  in  forwarding  the  supplies  for 
his  expedition,  particularly  as  he  himself  had  arrived  at  Goodhavn  but  six 
days  before  nie.     *     *     * 

As  soon  as  I  ancliored,  I  rccptostcd  Captain  Hall  to  call  upon  the  Inspect- 
or of  North  Greenland — this  is  the  proper  title  of  the  chief  functionary  of 
tlie  Danish  Government  in  that  part  of  tiie  world,  the  title  of  governor  re- 
ferring to  the  local  magistrate  of  the  settlement — and  inform  him  that  1 
would  call  the  next  day  to  pay  my  respects  to  liim,  etc.,  etc. 

Accordingly,  the  next  morning,  the  11th,  at  11  o'clock,  accompanied  by 
Captain  Ilall,  I  landed,  in  full  uniform.  As  soon  as  I  touched  the  shore,  1 
was  saluted  by  a  battery  of  six-pounders,  and  was  met  by  the  governor,  or 
local  magistrate.  The  inspector  received  me  at  his  door,  with  eveiy  mark 
of  official  and  personal  respect  and  consideration.  Upon  entering  his 
house  we  were  presented  to  his  wife,  who  was  our  inter{)reter  throughout 
our  visit,  although  her  husband,  to  a  limited  degree,  understood  and  spoke 
English.  After  being  seated  and  the  usual  piirases  of  common  politeness 
had  been  interchanged,  I  presented  liini  with  your  letter,  and  took  occasion 
to  make  a  few  remarks  touching  the  object  of  my  visit;  the  interest  of  our 
Government  and  people  in  the  expedition  of  Captain  Hall ;  and  assured 
him  that  any  attention,  civility,  or  courtesy,  extended  to  Captain  Hall  or 
his  associates,  by  the  Dani.sh  authorities  throughout  Greenland,  would  be 
heartily  appreciated  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  would  be 
duly  acknowledged  by  our  Government.  I  did  not  say  much,  but  I  en- 
deavored to  "  speak  to  the  point " — Hall's  expedition. 

Inspector  Smith,  after  expressing  his  pleasure  at  seeing  mc,  replied  that 
he  would  do  all  in  his  power  to  further  the  views  of  our  Government ;  that 
he  would  assist  Captain  Hall  in  every  possible  way  in  his  power,  and  that 
he  was  sure  the  authorities  throughout  Greenland  would,  with  pleasure, 
give  him  a  helping  hand ;  anil  added  that  the  Government  store-house  was 
at  my  immediate  disposal,  for  the  stores  which  I  had  on  board  for  the  Po- 
laris.    *    *    * 

My  visit  was  agreeable  in  every  respect,  and  I  left  with  the  assurance  on  the 
part  of  the  inspector  that  every  thing  which  we  wanted  would  be  granted, 
in  so  far  as  their  means  would  admit,  with  promptness  as  well  as  pleasure. 

On  the  12th — the  day  after  the  above — I  hauled  the  Polaris  alongside  of 
the  Cimgress  and  put  on  board  of  her  all  the  coal,  provisions,  and  stores  she 
could  carry.  After  disposing  of  her,  I  landed  the  residue,  putting  the  pro- 
visions and  stores  in  the  Government  store-house  ;  and  built  a  "  crib  "  out- 
side, into  which  I  stored  the  coal. 

On  the  17th,  the  Polaris  being  ready  for  sea,  I  went  on  board,  made  a 
few  remarks  to  the  officers  and  crew,  at  the  request  of  Captain  Hall,  and 
bade  them  farewell.  She  got  under  way  at  2  o'c  ick  p.m.,  and,  amidst  the 
cheers  of  my  ship's  company,  took  her  departure  for  the  Polar  regions. 
The  day  was  beautifully  bright,  and  the  temperature  that  of  a  May  morn 
in  the  latitude  of  Washington. 

80 


466  APPENDIX.  » 

On  the  19th  of  August,  at  7  o'clock  a.m.,  I  got  under  way,  and  left  Good- 
havu  for  this  port.  Throughout  my  stay  in  tiiat  hospitable  though  hyper- 
borean region,  every  thing  was  done  by  the  authorities  whicii  courtesy  or 
politeness  could  indicate.     *     *     * 

Inspector  Smith  kindly  volunteered  and  accompanied  a  p^.rty  from  the 
ship  to  visit  a  glacier,  some  nine  miles  from  the  anchorage.  VVc  had  to 
go  four  miles  in  a  boat,  and  proceeded  thence  on  foot,  five  miles,  over 
the  worst  imaginable  route,  through  bogs,  over  hills,  mountains,  and  down 
rocky  valleys,  enough  to  appall  one  who  had  never  seen  such  a  country; 
and  all  this,  too,  with  a  knowledge  of  what  he  would  have  to  encounter, 
having  been  over  the  route  before.  He  led  the  way,  as  our  guide,  witli  a 
degree  of  modesty  and  perseverance  which  won  not  only  our  admiration 
and  astonishment,  but  also  our  warmest  regard,  respect,  and  esteem. 

On  the  17th  I  had  the  honor  of  ente/taining  the  inspector  and  wife  at 
dinner  in  my  cabin,  and  tried  as  best  I  could  to  reciprocate,  in  my  feeble 
way,  the  civilities  of  which  I  had  been  the  recipient.  They  had  previous- 
ly aiforded  me  the  pleasure  of  their  company  to  a  luncheon,  u])on  which  a 
number  of  the  officers  of  the  ship  were  good  enough  to  assist  me  in  enter- 
taining them. 

The  Department  will,  I  trust,  overlook  the  prolixity  of  this  letter,  when 
it  is  remembered  that  it  is  a  "  detailed  report,"  which  I  hoi)e  may  not  be 
without  interest.     *     *    * 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  all  were  in  good  spirits,  and  perfect  harmony 
prevailed  on  board  of  the  Polaris  when  she  left  Goodhavn ;  and  I  may  add 
that  the  presence  of  the  Congress — there  may  be  something  in  iier  name — 
had  a  charmingly  beneficial  influence  upon  the  entire  ship's  company  of 
that  little  craft,  in  addition  to  the  impression  which  she  made  upon  the  in- 
habitants of  Goodhavn.  She  is  the  largest  ship  which  has  ever  entered 
that  port,  either  man-of-war  or  merchantman,  and  the  largest  they  had  ever 
seen,  and  her  dimensions  filled  with  admiration  and  amazement  all  who 
visited  her,  from  the  chief  functionary  to  the  most  humble  Esquimau. 

When  I  left  Goodhavn,  I  had  but  three  and  a  half  days'  coal  on  board, 
and  for  the  first  twenty-four  hours  after  leaving  carried  both  steam  and 
sail  to  drive  me  through  the  narrow  part  of  Davis  Strait,  where  I  stopped 
the  engines,  put  out  fires,  and  made  the  rest  of  my  way  under  sail  alone,  with 
variable  winds,  calms,  and  gales,  until  I  got  within  two  hundred  miles  of  St. 
Johns,  when  I  lighted  fires  and  ran  into  port,  arriving  here  at  3  o'clock  p.m. 
i  In  conclusion,  I  beg  leave  to  say  that  I  have  carried  out  the  views  and 
instructions  of  the  Department,  with  an  honest  zeal,  to  the  best  of  my  abil- 
ity and  understanding,  and  with  all  the  dispatch  of  which  I  was  capable. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant,  H.  K.  Davenpokt, 

Captain,  Commanding  Congress, 
Hon.  Gio.  M.  RoBEBOK,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Note. — I  omitted  to  mention,  in  its  proper  place,  that  the  salute  fired  in 
my  honor,  on  landing,  was  duly  returned,  and  also  that  the  inspector  was 
received  with  proper  military  honors  when  he  visited  the  ship,  and  a  salute 
of  fifteen  guns  was  fired  on  his  leaving,  H.  K.  D. 


APPENDIX,  467 

Prayer  at  the  North  Pole. 

Written  for  the  use  of  the  North  I'l.lur  Expedition,  by  Kev.  Dr.  Newman,  of  WashinRton,  to  be 

used  only  on  reaching  the  Pole, 

Great  Gofl  of  the  universe!  our  hearts  are  full  of  joy  and  gladness  for  all 
Thy  marvelous  goodness  unto  us.  We  have  seen  Thy  wonders  upon  the 
deep,  and  amidst  the  everlasting  hills  of  iee,  and  now  we  beiiold  the  glory 
of  Thy  power  in  this  place  so  long  secluded  from  the  gaze  of  civilized  man. 
Unto  Thee,  who  stretchest  out  the  north  over  the  empty  place,  and  hangest 
tiie  earth  upon  nothing  ;  who  hath  compassed  the  waters  with  bounds  until 
day  and  night  come  to  an  end ;  we  give  Thee  thanks  for  what  our  eyes  now 
behold,  and  for  what  our  hearts  now  feel. 

Glory  he  to  God  on  high,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men  !  We 
praise  Thee  ;  we  bless  Thee ;  we  worship  Thee ;  we  glorify  Thee ;  we  give 
Thee  thanks  for  Thy  great  glory,  O  Lord  God,  our  heavenly  King !  God  the 
Father  Almighty!  Praise  Him  all  ye  His  works.  Praise  Him  sun,  moon, 
and  stars  of  light.  Praise  Him  ye  heaven  of  heavens,  and  ye  waters  that  be 
above  the  heavens.  Praise  the  Lord  from  the  earth,  ye  dragons  and  all 
deeps,  lire  and  hail,  snow  and  vapor,  stormy  winds  fulfilling  His  word; 
praise  Him  frost  and  cold,  snow  and  ice,  day  and  night,  summer  and  win- 
ter, seas  and  floods.  Praise  Him  all  ye  rulers  and  peoples  of  the  earth. 
Let  every  thing  that  hath  breath  praise  the  Lord.  Glory  be  to  the  Father, 
and  to  the  Sou,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  it  was  in  the  beginning,  is  now, 
and  ever  shall  be,  world  without  end. 

In  Thy  name,  O  Lord,  we  consecrate  this  portion  of  our  globe  to  liberty, 
education,  and  religion,  and  may  future  generations  reap  the  advantage  of 
our  discoveries.  Bless  the  nation  that  sent  us  forth ;  bless  the  President  of 
our  great  republic ;  bless  all  the  people  of  our  favored  land,  whose  national 
banner  we  now  wave  over  this  di.stant  country. 

And  now  may  the  God  of  our  fathers  guide  and  direct  our  returning  foot- 
steps to  those  who  wait  to  greet  us  with  joy  in  the  homes  and  land  we  love. 
May  no  evil  befall  us ;  no  sin  stain  our  souls ;  no  error  lead  us  astray  from 
Thee  and  duty.  Hear  us  for  the  sake  of  Him  who  hath  taught  us  to  pray  : 
Our  Father  who  art  in  Heaven,  hallowed  be  Thy  name;  Thy  kingdom 
come;  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven ;  give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread;  forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  them  who  trespass 
against  us ;  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil ;  for  Thine 
is  the  kingdom,  the  power,  and  the  glory  forever.     Amen ! 


Extract  of  Letter  from  J.  Carson  Brevoort,  Esq..,  to  the  Editor. 

"  Brooklyn,  December  20, 1873, 
*  *  *  "The  Polaris  expedition  was  an  official  one,  and  I  had  nothing 
to  do  with  it  beyond  lending  to  Captain  Hall  a  few  books,  and  consulting 
with  him  about  his  pmosed  line  of  search.  I  do  not  know  whether  the 
'  Blue-books '  were  saved  or  not.  *  *  *  Kane  had  a  lot  of  my  books  with 
him  in  the  Advance,  which  he  abandoned  in  Rensselaer  Harbor ;  Hayes  had 


46S  APPENDIX. 

some,  which  have  been  returnod.     Hull  had  a  copy  of  *  Luke  Fox's  Voyage 
of  IB^o,'  uiul  it  bears  an  indorHcmeiit  as  follows  : 

"  '  This  book  belongs  to  m^  friend,  J.  Carson  Brevoort. 

"   To-iiioirow,  Ma'cli  ',i\,  niysolf  ami  native  party,  consisting  of  13  souls,  start 

on  my    ledge-journey  to  King  William  Laud. 

♦"C.  F.  Hall, 

"  '29th  (Snow-house)  Enc't,  near  Fort  Hope,  Repulse  Bay, 

Lat.  C(i°  32'  N.,  h)Ug.  86°  SC  W. 
" '  Friday,  March  30, 1866.' 

"  I  value  this  highly,  as  yon  may  snpposo.  TTall  brought  me  a  pair  of 
walrus-teeth,  from  King  William  Land,  and  a  nmsk-ox  skin  and  horns.  Ilia 
object,  as  you  perhaps  know,  on  this  trip  was  to  discover  the  records  of  the 
Franklin  expedition  of  1845  by  ])assing  a  summer  on  King  William  Land. 
But  his  i)lans  were  frustrated  by  the  hostility  of  the  natives,  and  the  timid- 
ity of  some  of  his  own  party. 

"  Soon  after  his  return  he  announced  to  me  his  determination  to  induce 
the  Government  to  send  out  a  Polar  expedition,  and  he  jjushed  the  scheme, 
like  another  Columbus,  untiringly  and  i)atiently.  He  was  the  only  real 
and  genuine  leader  of  the  Polarin  expedition.  Had  all  the  others  been,  like 
himself,  enthusiastic,  and  im])ressed  with  the  like  ambitious  purpose,  the 
Polaris  would  have  wintered  near  the  pole  itself,  and  have  co7ne  out  tunr 
Spitzhergen  or  Ik/iriiuj  /Strait.  He  was  a  prudent,  far-seeing  leader  witl.;»l, 
counting  on  having  to  meet  all  possible  obstacles  from  natural  causes,  but 
had  left  out  of  his  calculations  the  opposition  he  might  meet  from  those 
less  zealous  than  himself.  I  warned  him  on  this  last  point,  and  cautioned 
him  about  his  companions.  If  you  liave  read  the  story  of  Columbus  and 
of  the  Pizarros,  or  of  Sebastian  Cabot  and  Captain  Sperts,  you  will  under- 
stand what  he  must  have  felt  when  forced  to  turn  away  from  the  thresliold 
of  the  Polar  basin. 

"  Hall  never  put  his  full  thoughts  on  paper,  and  his  letters  are  more  of  a 
business  than  of  a  scientific  nature.  He  preferred  talking  over  his  plans 
with  those  who  understood  him.  His  nature  was  gentle,  kind,  and  patient. 
His  companions,  Ebierbing  and  Tookilooto  (Joe  and  Hannah)  now  at  Gro- 
ton,  near  New  London,  can  bear  testimony  to  his  uniform  gentleness  and 
sympathetic,  unselfish  disposition.  His  own  published  book  is  full  of  out- 
pourings of  this  description,  and  further  testifies  to  his  deep  and  fervent 
Christian  convictions. 

"  I  could  write  much  more  about  Hall,  whom  I  admired,  respected,  and 
loved,  both  as  a  leader  and  as  a  man,  but  I  must  close. 

"  Any  thing  that  I  have  here  said  you  may  use ;  but  I  feel  that  it  is  not 
much  to  the  purpose.  Yours  respectfully, 

"  J.  Carson  Bkevoort." 

To  E.  Vale  Blake. 

Carbondale,  Peun.,  December  22, 1ST3. 
Your  letter  was  received  quite  recently,  having  laid  a  long  time  in  the 
Secretary's  office,  and  this  will  excuse  my  not  answering  it  before. 


AI'l'ENDIX.  469 

In  ansv.pr  to  your  question  respect iii!?  tlic  "lookout  kept  up  for  those 
sepiuate<l  from  tlie  ship  on  the  eve  of  the  l.'itli  of  Oetoher,  1872,"  I  will 
state  the  facts  as  far  as  they  came  under  my  observation.  As  soon  as  it 
was  lifj^ht  enou<rh  to  ce,  Mr.  Chester  was  sent  to  the  mast-head  with  a 
glass  to  look  for  onr  comrades.  He  reporteil  tliat  he  s.tw  on  a  piece  of  ice 
what  appeared  like  barrels  and  boxes  of  provisions,  but  could  not  see  any 
thin<j  that  looked  like  men.  I  believe  that  Henry  Hobby  also  went  to  the 
mast-head  with  like  success.  We  were  not  at  all  surprised  when  we  lieard 
that  they  could  not  be  seen.  *  *  *  During  the  winter  I  greatly  regretted 
that  I  did  not  go  up  to  the  mast-head  myself,  but  I  never  had  an  idea  that 
I  would  have  seen  them.  *  *  *  We  might  have  interested  the  natives  in 
their  iiehalf,  however.  Give  my  regards  to  Captain  Tyson,  whom  I  hope 
soon  to  ste.  Kespectfully  yours, 

R.  W.  D.  BUYAN. 


OFFICIAL  EXAMINATION  OF  THE  POLARIS  SUR- 
VIVORS. 

Wnshinfrton,  October  11,  IST.l, 
On  Board  United  States  Steamship  Tallapoosa. 

Present,  Hon.  Geo.  M.  TJobeson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Commodore  Rey- 
nolds, and  Captain  Howgate,  of  the  Signal  Service.  The  principal  queries, 
addressed  to  all  the  parties  examined,  related — 1st,  to  the  possibility  of  get- 
ting farther  north  than  82'^  16';  2d,  to  the  circumstances  of  Captain  Hall's 
death ;  JJd,  to  the  abandonment  of  the  Polaris;  4th,  to  the  kind  and  amount 
of  effort  made  by  the  party  on  shore  to  get  sight  of  their  late  companions 
left  adrift  on  the  ice-floe;  and,  5th,  as  to  special  facts  of  interest,  scientific 
or  otherwise,  observed  by  the  witnesses. 

The  first  examined  was  Captain  S.  O.  Buddington  ;  he  testified  to  the  ef- 
fect that  he  did  not  think  the  Polaris  could  have  made  any  farther  north- 
ing than  she  did ;  that  he  "  did  not  see  any  chance  to  get  north  "  of  lat. 
83°  16' ;  also,  tjiat  it  was  impossible  to  keep  the  Polaris  afloat  after  the 
storm  on  the  15th  of  October,  1872.  The  journal  of  events  which  he  pre- 
sented to  the  Board  of  Inquiry  was  written  for  him  by  Mr.  Mauch.  "No 
formal  survey  of  the  ship  was  held  "  to  decide  c/n  her  sea-worthiness  after 
they  got  ashore;  that  the  "original  log-books  were  buried  at  Life-boat 
Cove,"  and  only  copies  brought  home.  In  regard  to  Captain  Hall's  death, 
he  thought  it  resulted  from  natural  causes.  As  for  the  ice-floe  party,  he 
said  that  Mr.  Chester  was  up  aloft  "  nearly  the  whole  time,  from  the  time 
we  started  in  until  we  got  ashore,"  and  that  he  sent  Mr.  Hobby  up ;  that  if 
the  ice-floe  party  had  been  seen,  he  could  not  have  reached  them.  He  "  did 
not  think  there  was  any  refraction  "  on  October  16.  In  regard  to  the  charges 
which  had  been  made  against  him  by  members  of  the  ice-floe  party,  he  ad- 
mitted nearly  every  thing  except  as  to  Lis  unwillingness  to  go  north,  which, 


470  APPENDIX. 

ID  his  opinion  was  impossil>lo ;  lie  admits,  however,  sayinp  to  Noah  Ilays, 
in  re<;ur(l  to  some  carpenter's  shavin^^s,  "Tliey  will  do  for  the  devilish  fools 
on  the  sledge  journey."  This  he  says  Captain  Hall,  to  whom  it  referred, 
overheard.  lie  also  admitted  the  oeeurreiice  of  a  ditliculty  with  Captain 
Hall  at  Disco;  also  breaking  open  a  locker,  which  broiiglit  on  himself  a 
reprimand  from  Captain  Hall;  also  that  Captain  Hall  had  written  a  letter 
addressed  to  him  containing  strictures  upon  his  comluct,  which  letter  Cap- 
tain Hall  subsequently  i)urned;  also  admitted  the  general  charge  of  drink- 
ing, and  the  specific  charge  of  taking  surreptitiously  Dr.  Hessel's  alcohol,  and 
of  an  altercation  with  the  doctor  al)')nt  it ;  did  not  tiiiiik  lie  was  at  any  time 
incapacitated  for  duty  in  consequence.  Speaking  of  Captain  Tyson,  he  .said 
that  the  latter  was  in  the  habit "  of  complaining  bitterly  about  the  manage- 
ment generally,"  but  they  had  no  trouble  to  speak  of  Captain  Budding- 
ton  .stated  distinctly  that  "he  never  left  the  ship"  to  travel,  or  otherwise; 
did  not  discover  that  any  tidal  wave  came  from  the  Pacific ;  thought  he 
saw  land  to  the  north-east  of  Repulse  Harbor ;  saw  land  to  the  west,  above 
Cape  Union ;  thinks  the  North  Pole  might  be  reached  by  the  route  taken 
by  the  Polaris;  did  not  agree  very  well  with  Dr.  Bessel.  He  also  stated 
that  some  wheat,  accidentally  spilled  on  the  ground,  took  root  on  shore  of 
Polaris  Bay,  and  grew  to  the  height  of  two  or  three  inches. 

Mr.  H.  C.  Chester,  first  mate,  stated  that  at  the  highest  point  the  Po- 
laris reached  he  could  see  a  dense  water-cloud  to  the  north ;  that  when  the 
consultation  of  officers  was  held  (August  30,  1871),  near  lat.  83°  16'  N.,  the 
man  aloft  sung  out  that  there  was  a  lead  close  to  the  east  shore  ;  thinks  the 
vessel  could  have  gone  on;  that  both  he  and  Tyson  gave  that  as  their 
opinion;  thought  '"if  some  one  else  had  been  sailing-master  the  ship  would 
have  gone  farther  north.  If  he  had  had  command,  he  would  have  tried 
it."  On  his  sledge-journey  with  Captain  Hall,  in  the  early  part  of  October, 
1871,  they  staid  two  days  at  Cape  Brevoort;  also  stated  that  at  that  point 
the  sledge-journey  ceased,  but  tiiat  he  and  Captain  Hall  walked  northward 
for  eight  and  a  half  hours  to  the  highlands  at  Repulse  Harbor  [Captain 
Hall  does  not  mention  this  in  his  last  dispatch  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
dated  at  Cape  BrevoortJ ;  that  from  these  heights  he  saw  a  cape  on  the 
north-west  coast,  extending  sixty  miles  north,  and  also  land  trending  off  to 
the  east  of  Robeson  Channel ;  it  was  a  clear  day ;  "  a  dense  water-cloud 
that  extended  round  in  a  sort  of  semicircle,  some  parts  lighter  than  others," 
was  seen  to  the  north.  Captain  Hall's  health  was  "  first-rate  "  while  on  this 
journey ;  thought  Hall's  death  natural.  After  separation  of  the  party,  "  did 
not  know  of  any  one  being  at  the  mast-head  to  look  out  for  their  late  com- 
panions but  himself,"  but  thought  one  other  man  went  up  when  he  was 
not  there.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  October  16,  thought  he  was  up  al- 
together an  hour  and  a  half;  was  up  and  down  the  mabt-head  every  ten 
or  fifleen  minutes,  until  they  neared  the  land.  Saw  a  piece  of  floe  with 
provisions  on  it,  but  no  men.  He  copied  the  log-books,  and  re-copied  his 
first  copy  into  a  smaller  form,  because  the  large  books  were  too  heavy  to 
take  in  the  boat.  Thinks  Captain  Buddington  "  a  good  whaling-captain, 
but  that  he  has. not  enthusiasm  for  the  North  Pole ;"  he  at  times  "  depre- 


Ari'KNDIX.  471 

oiatcd  Captain  Ilall,  usin£»  improper  lan<jua<»e  amoriff  the  soanion  on  the 
main  deck;  he  diil  not  spt-iik  ri'spi-cttuUy  of  tin;  cominandiT  or  tlie  expedi- 
tion,"' being  sober  at  the  time.  "lli.s"  (Captain  liuddinj^ton's)  "  idea  was. 
tiiat  tlie  enterprise  was  all  d  —  d  nonsense;  thoiiijht  tlie  scientific  work 
was  all  nonsense,  too;  he  re<;arded  the  wliole  thini;  as  foolishness.  Mr. 
Chester  could  not  decide  in  his  own  mind  which  way  the  tide  came  from 
— whetlier  from  the  north  or  south. 

Mr.  MouTON,  second  mate,  thought  it  was  danirerons  to  attempt  to  get 
north  after  coining  to  anchor  in  Polaris  Hay.  Watched  with  Captain  Hall 
during  his  sickness;  confirms  the  statement  concerning  Captain  Hall's  sus- 
picions of  foul  play;  thinks  he  was  delirious  at  the  time;  says  Dr.  Bessel 
was  kind  to  him;  thinks  that  after  the  storm  of  November  37,  1871,  the 
Polam  might  have  been  prevented  from  resting  on  the  spur  of  the  berg 
which  so  wrenched  and  strained  her.  After  Hall's  death,  resigned  his 
charge  of  the  provision-i;  "found  it  would  I>e  an  unpleasant  situation  ;"  says 
Captain  Buddington  "had  not  firmness  enough  to  send  an  order  to  Chester 
when  the  latter  was  at  Newman  Buy,  but  he  sent  a  requests  At  the  time 
of  the  separation  of  the  party,  thought  the  ice  was  safer  than  the  ship. 
Saturday,  June  1,  187:3.  was  the  day  agreed  upon  for  leaving  Life-boat  Cove 
in  the  boats,  but  they  were  prevented  l>y  a  gale,  which  continued  over  Sun- 
day. They  started  the  ;3d,  and  reached  Northumberland  Island  at  mid- 
night of  that  day ;  "  thought  some  people  were  not  very  sorry  at  Hall's 
deatli;"  heard  Captain  Buddington  "mutter  disrespectfully  about  him," 
and  use  a  "  good  many  careless  expressions ;"  thinks  the  lookout  on  the  Kith 
of  Octol)er  might  have  amounted  altogether  "to  au  hour  during  the  day;" 
thinks  the  tide  at  Robeson  Ciiannel  comes  from  the  south,  and  that  the 
climate  is  milder  at  Polaris  Bay  than  at  Kane's  winter-quarters ;  less  snow 
at  the  higher  latitude.     He   "  found  grass  in  patches   as  high    as  your 

ankle." 

Washington,  October  16,  1873. 

By  invitation,  Surgeon-general  Barnes,  of  the  United  States  Army,  and 
Surgeon-general  Beal,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  were  present  to  listen  to 
such  statements  of  Dr.  Bessel's  as  related  to  the  sickness  and  death  of 
Captain  Hall. 

Dr.  Emii>  Bessel  :  At  Disco,  at  the  time  of  the  difficulty  between  Captain 
Hall  and  Meyers,  "  I  told  him  "  (Captain  Hall)  "  I  preferred  to  go  on  shore 
myself  if  Mr.  Meyers  was  dismissed."  On  the  day  we  reached  lat.  82°  16', 
Captain  Buddington  showed  me  a  dark  cloud  hanging  quite  low  over  the 
horizon  at  a  pretty  good  distance  to  the  north,  ahead  of  us;  could  get 
some  glimpse  of  land  north.  I  placed  it  in  lat.  84°  40'  N.  "At  the  con- 
sultation among  the  officers,  Messrs.  Chester,  Tyson,  and  Morton  suggested 
going  ahead ;"  he  (Dr.  Bessel)  did  the  same,  only  suggested  going  over  to 
the  west  coast.  Captain  Buddington  said  he  "  did  not  see  any  chance  to 
go  farther ;  Captain  Hall  was  very  anxious  to  go  on."  Captain  Tyson  and 
one  of  the  mer  from  the  mast-head  reported  they  "  saw  plenty  of  open 
water ;"  it  could  not  be  seen  from  the  deck.    Of  Hall's  sickness  he  says : 


472  AITENDIX. 

Before  I  saw  liim,  tliero  had  hovn  vomiting;  the  cul)in  was  very  warm; 
it  was  alioiit  tit'tccii  fvi{  Ion'?  ami  fiLrlit  wide;  tlicrc  \v«'r('  cij^'lit  lurtlis  in 
it;  Hi'vcu  people  slept  tlierc,  iri<liiilinj^  tiie  capfaiii ;  tliey  all  slept  there 
liurinjif  his  sickness.  [One  of  these  was  the  colored  cook.)  His  pi:lse  was 
very  irreirnhir— from  sixty  to  eighty — he  all  at  once  hecaine  comatose.  I 
apj)lied  inu-^tard  poultices  to  his  le<;s  and  breast,  put  blisters  on  his  neck, 
and  cold-water  applications  to  his  head;  in  twenty-live  minutes  he  recover- 
ed consciousness;  then  found  n  condition  of  hemiplej^ia;  the  letl  side  of 
the  face,  and  the  left  arm  and  si(h',  were  paralyzed,  also  the  muscles  of  the 
ton<jue,  the  point  of  which  deflected  to  the  lell ;  ^Mve  him  castor-oil,  anil 
three  or  four  drops  of  croton-oil ;  he  slept  durinj;  that  nii-ht;  C()m|>lained 
next  day  of  ditticulty  of  swallowinj^.  and  numbness  of  the  tonjifue;  part  of 
the  time  he  couM  not  speak  distinctly;  ^'ave  more  castor  and  croton  oil. 
and  he  recovert'd  pretty  well  from  the  paralysis. 

Oct.  28.  He  was  restless,  with  l)Ut  little  appetite;  ate,  I  think,  some  pre- 
served food,  jjeaches  or  pine-apple;  complained  of  chilliness;  the  tempera- 
ture of  his  body  varied  from  H:i  to  111  ;  at  tiiis  time  his  mind  was  unaf- 
fected; fjjave  him  hypodermic  (under  the  skin)  injection  of  one  and  a  half 
grains  of  fiuinine,  to  see  the  effect ;  better  in  the  evening ;  took  some  arrow- 
root and  soup. 

(Jet.  27.  Appetite  improved,  but  still  numbness  of  the  tongue. 

Oct.  28.  First  symptoms  of  mind  wandering ;  thought  some  (me  was  going 
to  shoot  him ;  he  accused  every  body;  thought  he  saw  blue  gas  coming  out 
of  persons'  mouths;  woulil  not  take  clean  stockings  from  C'hester ;  thought 
they  were  poisoned;  appeared  to  trust  Joe  and  Hannah  most;  made  one 
and  another  taste  the  food,  even  that  which  came  out  of  the  sealed  cans 
opened  in  his  cabin ;  he  continued  thus  till  Saturday,  November  4 ;  he  would 
not  let  nie  see  him  from  October  2!)  till  November  4;  gave  him  no  treat- 
ment during  that  time;  he  took  pills  and  metlicines  of  his  own;  he  asked 
me  for  pills,  and  to  satisfy  him  I  made  some  of  bread,  and  Hannah  gave 
them  to  him;  partial  paralysis  of  tongue  continued;  in  showing  his  tongue 
it  was  always  deflected  toward  the  left. 

Nov.  5.  I  bathed  his  feet  with  warm  mustard  water;  tried  to  do  so  on  the 
6th ;  he  thought  I  was  going  to  poison  him  with  the  bath, 

NoTi.  7.  1  A.M.  He  jumped  out  of  bed,  asked  for  Captain  Buddington  and 
Hannah ;  Mr.  Hays  called  me  from  the  observatory ;  when  I  came,  he  asked 
for  water,  and  drank  some ;  I  found  the  pupil  of  his  left  eye  dilated,  that  of 
the  right  contracted;  he  went  back  to  bed;  said  he  felt  worse,  and  spoke 
with  more  difficulty;  he  then  became  comatose;  you  could  hear  gurgling, 
or  rdle,  in  his  throat;  tried  with  a  pin  if  sensation  remained;  there  was 
some  on  the  right  side,  but  none  on  the  left;  finally  there  were  reflectory, 
or  spasmodic,  motions  of  the  muscles  of  the  left  side,  and  occasionally  on 
the  right;  this  was  Novembers;  he  died  at  3.25  a.m.  of  that  day.  Thinks 
the  tides  at  Thank  God  Harbor  came  from  the  North  Pacific ;  thinks  Cap- 
tain Tyson  could  not  have  traveled  overland  in  sledges,  because  there  was 
not  snow  enough;  the  ground  was  too  bare.  [See  testimony  of  the  carpen- 
ter, Mr,  Coffin,  as  to  wheels.]     During  his  stay  at  Newman  Bay  (with  the 


APrENDix.  478 

Tyson  bfmt-party)  there  was  not  water  ('n()ii«^!i  to  float  the  boat;  the  ice 
kept  poiirinj;  down  the  whole  time  through  UolK>son  Channel  in  Hmall 
pieces,  iiiiniinoeks,  and  at  last  heavy  fields.  Koheson  Channel  was  nit 
frozen  during  the  w  hole  winter,  except  a  few  days  in  March.  The  ice 
poured  down  from  n<»rth  to  south,  with  two  exceptions.  On  one  occasion 
it  went  north  for  thirty  minutes,  iind  on  anotluT  for  fifteen  minutes;  he 
tliinks,  from  geological  features,  that  (Jrcenland  has  been  split  otf  from  the 
west  land  at  some  period;  thinks  that  the  observations  made  by  the  PoUirin 
party  prove  the  insularity  of  (Jrcenland.  [No  surveys  were  made  far  enough 
to  tlie  north-east  to  prove;  that.)  All  tlie  geological  specimens,  the  skins, 
the  skeletons  of  musk-cattle,  and  most  of  the  photographic  apparatus,  were 
lost,  with  many  instruments  of  difl'erent  kinds;  saved  some  instruments,  anil 
part  of  the  records  of  the  scientitie  work  performed;  the  wide-bore  ther- 
mometers, supplied  by  the  Unite<l  States  Signal  Corps,  indicated  correctly 
temperature  to  —40';  the  Cassella  (English),  narrow-bore,  would  stop  at 
—35°.  Could  not  account  for  the  fact  that  the  ice-floe  party  were  not  to  be 
seen,  though  the  latter  could  distinguish  the  smoke-stack  of  the  Pohirix.  In 
the  spring  of  187:5  attempted  to  go  overland  to  Thank  Goil  Harbor;  did  not 
succeed,  because  neither  natives  nor  seamen  would  accompany  him;  went 
to  "  Brother  John  Glacier,"  and  staid  four  days,  making  observations  on  rate 
of  progress,  limits  of  neve,  etc.  After  being  picked  up  by  the  Itdi-emenng 
on  June  ^;],  remained  on  board  of  that  vessel,  which  was  beset  in  the  ice, 
until  July  4;  then  Captain  Allen  crossed  to  the  westward  near  Lancaster 
Sound ;  on  the  7th  of  July  was  transferred,  with  others  of  the  party,  to  the 
Scotch  whaler  Arctic,  Captain  Adams;  on  board  of  tliis  vessel  was  Captain 
Markham,  U.N.  The  Arctic  sailed  down  Prince  Regent  Inlet  to  Fury 
Beach;  landed  there,  and  examined  tlie  remains  of  the  wreck  of  the  British 
ship  Fvrii,  lost  by  Captain  Parry  in  1824 ;  found  a  lot  of  the  canned  pro- 
visions supposed  to  have  belonged  to  that  vessel ;  tested  them,  and  found 
them  still  good;  also  saw  two  finglish  muskets,  marked  1850.  [These  and 
the  provisions  were  proi)ably  left  by  the  Prince  Albert,  Captain  Penny,  who 
was  at  Fury  Beach  in  1851.]  He,  in  company  with  Captain  Markham,  also 
went  on  a  boat  excursion  to  the  south  side  of  Creswell  Bay ;  saw  there 
thirty  deserted  huts  made  of  the  skulls  of  the  Greenland  whale ;  saw  ninety- 
six  skulls.  During  the  appearance  of  the  aurora  borealis,  in  no  instance 
could  the  least  amount  of  electricity  be  detected ;  the  record  or  journal  he 
kept  was  miscarried  in  England,  and  he  had  not  yet  recovered  it.  He  had 
kept  no  '"sick-list"  during  the  entire  cruise,  because  no  one  was  sick. 

Emu.  Sciiuman,  chief  engineer :  Heard  Captain  Hall  thank  Dr.  Bessel  for 
his  kindness  to  him  during  his  sickness;  also  heard  him  (Captain  Hall)  say 
to  Captain  Buddington,  five  or  six  days  before  he  died,  that, "  in  case  he  died, 
he  (Captain  Buddington)  should  go  to  the  North  Pole,  and  not  come  back 
till  he  had  reached  it ;"  and  Captain  Buddington  had  to  promise  that  he 
would.  After  Captain  Hall  died, ''  Captain  Buddington  took  charge  of  the 
papers,"  and  read  them,  "  and  we  all  read  them."  I  could  not  read  Captain 
Hall's  handwriting;  I  tried  to  do  so.  There  was  no  disorder  in  the  ship; 
there  may  have  been  in  the  forecastle,  but  I  did  not  know  it ;  I  am  &o  con- 


474  APPENDIX. 

Mtitutf^d  that  I  would  not  have  heard  any,  if  it  were  to  take  place;  I  would 
go  away;  thought  (.'aptain  Huddington  did  all  he  could;  went  up  aloft 
once  to  look  for  the;  loHt  party;  the  maehincry  of  the  Pol/triit  worked  well. 

If.  IIoiUiY,  Heaniuii :  During  (Ja|.'t!ii;i  llall'H  ilincHH,  Maueh,  the  eaptain'fl 
clerk,  came  into  the  cabin  and  told  tl)e  chief  engineer  and  mywjif  "  that 
then;  had  been  «onie  poiHoning  round  there,"  not  meaning  that  (y'aptain 
Hall  hud  taken  it,  but  '"that  the  HineP  was  in  the  cabin."  Captain  Hud- 
dington  told  me  Captain  Hall  was  dead,  and  said,  •'  We  are  all  right  now." 
I  Huid,  "How  do  you  mean  ]»y  that?"  He  Hays,  "  You  sha'n't  be  starved  to 
death  now."  I  told  him  "  I  never  believed  I  would."  At  DIhco  we  heard 
that  Cai'tain  Budilington,  Dr.  BchscI,  and  Mr.  H(;human  wen;  going  to  leave ; 
some  of  tl:e  men  Haid  they  were  going  to  leave  foo.  Captain  Buddingtop 
told  11.  ri  Washington,  at  the  Navy  Yard,  "that  in  regard  to  all  niatterH  of 
satin  ^  ive  iiad  to  come  to  him.  From  Disco  on,  the  rations  were  short- 
ened. We  spoke  about  it  to  Cai)tain  IJuddington.  We  never  g(jt  the  thing 
made  better  till  Captain  Hall  found  it  out  himself.  After  he  found  it  out, 
we  then  had  alfundance.  About  12  o'clock  (of  October  W)  went  u\)  to  the 
topmast  and  looked  for  the  party  on  the  ice;  could  see  nothing  of  them. 
In  the  spring  Dr.  Ik-ssel  want(!d  me  to  go  to  the  North  Pole  with  him  on  a 
h'ledge-journey,  with  fifty  pounds  of  pork  and  sixty  pounds  of  bread.  1 
thought  that  a  very  foolisli  idea.  He  promised  me  two  htmdred  dollars  if 
I  would  go  higher  with  him  than  Parry  ha«l  been.  After  tlu;  Polwin  was 
beactied,  we  (some  of  the  seamen)  made  fast  only  a  single  hawser;  w(! 
were  not  told  to  do  this,  but  we  took  the  responsibility.  If  I  had  had  any 
thing  to  say,  I  would  have  secured  her  properly  at  that  time.  On  meeting 
the  Jiavenncraif/,  I  and  some  of  the  men  and  >Ir.  (Jhester  would  have  pre- 
ferred to  remain  with  the  boats,  feeling  sure  we  could  get  to  Disco  witVi 
them,  (.'aptain  Buddington  and  some  others  wanted  to  go  aboard  the  ves- 
sel. When  the  ship  went  on  Providence  Berg  in  November,  1871,  Captain 
Buddington  said  it  was  the  safest  j)lace  we  could  have.  All  of  us  said  the 
contrary.  I  had  never  seen  a  ship  setting  on  the  ground  the  whole  winter, 
and  this  was  the  same;  she  soon  comnKmced  to  keel  over.  When  she  had 
set  about  a  fortnight,  then  the  captain  thought  it  would  not  be  a  good  i)lan 
to  leave  her  there ;  if  he  had  come  to  this  c(mclusion  before,  she  could 
have  been  gotten  otf  in  about  an  hour's  time ;  we  could  have  sawed  her 
off;  there  were  only  two  or  three  inches  of  ice  on  the  port  side ;  that  is, 
where  she  got  her  break  in  the  stem,  I  M'cnt  up  twice  to  look  for  the  sep- 
arat<;d  party ;  there  was  no  one  looking  from  the  mast-head  alxjut  4  p,m. 
(The  time  when  the  ice-floe  party  saw  her  tied  up.)  I  think  we  could  have 
gone  farther  north  after  we  got  into  winter-quarters.  The  reason  we  did 
not  go  was  because  Captain  Buddington  said  "it  was  not  safe  to  go  farther 
north ;"  this  was  spoken  in  the  prest;nce  of  every  one.  When  the  consul- 
tation was  had,  they  all  said  they  wanted  to  go  north,  with  tlie  exception 
of  Captain  Buddington.  There  was  open  water  to  the  northward  at  that 
time.  I  know  there  were  a  couple  of  officers  who  were  greatly  njlieved  by 
his  (Captain  Ilall's)  death ;  the  doctor  was  one  of  them;  I  think  Captain 
Buddington  was  also ;  I  never  heard  them  say  so ;  I  could  see  it  by  their 


APPENDIX,  475 

workfl ;  Mr,  Meyers  said  "  that  now  the  officerB  would  have  something  to 
Huy." 

H,  SiKMAN,  8eumun :  Tlio  thing  I  did  not  liite  was  there  not  being  any 
siedge-jonrneyH,  I  did  not  see  Captain  Hull  during  liiw  Kickness.  I  aHkcd 
Captain  HiKhiington  ior  pcrmiHsion,  l)iit  never  had  tiu;  privih'ge.  I  asked 
Dr.  Uesw;!  about  (.'aptain  Hall,  and  he  told  nie  that  he  would  not  get  over 
his  sickness;  this  was  before  he  got  so  very  siek  the  second  time.  In  my 
opinion,  the  expedition  died  witli  Captain  Hall ;  was  on  shore  with  a  tele- 
scope some  miles  behincl  Ca[)e  IJrevoort.  I  think  I  saw  land  northward  on 
the  east  and  west  sides,  I  h(!ard  a  glacier  discharge  below  our  winter- 
quarters,  where  tlie  place  called  Houtliern  Fiord  is, 

A,  A,  Odkm.,  second  enginciir:  We  had  a  very  good  crew;  every  thing 
went  on  peaceably  ;  do  not  think  the  Polirk  was  exactly  of  the  right  build 
for  a  ship  to  go  north,  but  slie  was  very  strong.  The  machinery  was  in 
good  condition.  It  was  as  much  as  we  could  do  to  get  into  shore  at  Life- 
boat (Jove, 

N.  J,  CoKKiN,  carpenter :  At  Disco,  when  Captain  Davenport  came  on 
board  the  Polirin  and  read  the  object  of  the  voyage,  Captain  Hall  stated  in 
the  (!abin  Ijeforc  all  of  us  that  he  had  been  insult(!d  by  Dr,  Bessel.  This 
was  the  time  he  read  off  the  duti(!s  of  every  man.  When  Captain  Hall 
came  back  from  his  sledge  -journey,  /  IkuI  m'den  to  make  sovie  whceh.  I 
nutde  three  of  tfiem ;  then,  at  hk  death,  I  was  ordered  to  discontinue  them. 
Captain  Hall  encountered  a  great  deal  of  bare  ground,  and  he  wanted  to 
go  over  that,  when  he  could  not  use  the  sleds  on  account  of  there  being  no 
snow.  He  was  calculating  upon  another  journey  right  off,  I  saw  him 
twice  while  he  was  siek.  I  had  a  piece  of  furniture  to  fix,  and  made  that 
un  excuse  to  go  into  the  cabin ;  and  Mr.  Morton  asked  me  once  to  go  in 
and  open  a  keg  of  tamarinds.  I  asked  if  it  would  do  him  any  harm  if  I 
were  to  call  in ;  they  thought  it  not  advisabh;  to  disturb  him.  I  asked 
Hans  (who  was  with  him  on  his  sledge-journey)  what  he  thought  of  his 
sickness.  Hans  said  that  he  traveled  hard  on  the  journey ;  and  while  they 
were  building  houses  (snow-huts;  Captain  Hall  did  not  do  any  work  in  the 
cold,  and  that  <lid  not  do  him  any  good.  I  heard  Mr.  Mauch  talking  with 
Hays;  he  (Mauch)  was  s(miething  of  a  chemist;  he  was  telling  Hays  that 
the  alcohol  they  burned  had  tartar-emetic  in  it,  and  that  the  fumes  of  it 
acted  as  a  poison  when  burned.  He  said  he  thought  that  hurt  Captain 
Hall,  I  asked  him  what  he  was  saying,  and  he  told  me  the  same  thing. 
He  told  me  he  thought  it  had  a  great  deal  of  effect  on  Captain  Hall's 
health. 

I  do  not  think  there  was  a  piece  of  the  stem  torn  out  below  the  six-foot 
water-mark.  There  was  not,  to  my  knowledge,  and  I  made  several  surveys 
of  the  vessel.  In  regard  to  the  ice-floe  party,  I  had  an  idea — whether  it  was 
only  imagination  or  not  I  do  not  know — but  I  thought  I  saw  a  large  number 
of  men  on  the  piece  of  ice  that  was  nearly  like  a  berg,  and  a  number  suffi- 
ciently great  to  indicate  that  it  was  our  party,  I  saw  no  provisions,  or 
any  thing  else ;  they  were  near  enough  for  me  to  take  in  the  whole  outline 
of  them ;  they  were  on  a  piece  of  ice  that  was  floating— movng  with  the 


476  ^U'PENDIX. 

current  very  rapidly ;  tlio  time  T  thouglit  I  saw  these  men  on  the  ice  was 
just  before  dark.  Uurinj;  tlie  day  we  had  looked,  but  did  not  see  them, 
jTliis  was  no  <l()ubt  a  reality,  and  tlio  time  corresponds  witli  that  wlien  all 
of  the  ice-floe  party  were  collected  together  lookinj;  at  the  Polarin  tm\  up.J 
Tliought  it  was  i)erlia|)s  a  mirage,  I  reported  tiiis  fact  to  Mr.  Chester,  1 
think,  I  went  in  bathing  at  Polaris  Bay ;  did  not  feel  uncomfortable  until 
about  an  hour  after;  a  storm  came  up,  and  it  became  quite  chilly  before  I 
got  on  board. 

N.  IIayh,  rated  as  seaman,  but  employed  as  coal-passer  in  the  fire-room  : 
I  was  below  a  good  deal,  and  did  not  know  as  much  of  what  was  going  on 
as  those  di<l  who  were  on  deck,  I  presume  no  one  knew  less  than  I  did. 
I  hail  no  chance  to  observe  any  thing.  Seven  hours  1  was  on  duty,  to  five 
oflf,  while  the  vessel  was  under  steam.  I  did  not  go  on  deck  at  all  to  do 
any  duty ;  I  do  not  rememljcr  any  thing  very  distinctly ;  I  kept  a  sort  of  a 
Journal;  I  saw  Captain  Hall  when  lie  came  Ijack  (from  his  sledge-journey) ; 
I  had  it  in  mind  uj)  to  a  little  while  ago  that  he  said  he  had  been  unwell 
tw(j  or  three  days ;  but  I  found,  on  inquiry  among  the  rest,  that  he  had  told 
them  no  such  thing,  and  therefore  I  must  be  mistaken  about  that.  After 
the  separation,  when  morning  came,  I  do  rot  know  that  we  looked  for  our 
comrades  right  away ;  I  thought  of  them  all  the  time,  but  our  attention  was 
drawn  to  the  shore;  I  was  that  morning  at  the  wheel ;  there  was  a  marine- 
glass  lying  there ;  I  took  that,  and  scanned  the  horizon  two  or  three  times 
to  the  southward,  to  Littleton  Island,  and  to  the  shore,  but  I  could  see  noth- 
ing of  our  comrades  ;  others  looked  also.  Mr.  Chester  was  at  the  mast-head 
once  or  twice,  I  believe,  but  he  was  o:i  deck  most  of  the  time ;  no  one  was 
at  the  mast-head  continually ;  Mr.  Chester  said  he  saw  something  on  the 
ice ;  the  general  opinion  seemed  to  be  that  it  was  "  l)lack-i(,'e  "  (/.  c,  a  cavity 
in  the  ice  which  at  a  long  distance  looks  black)  ;  I  should  think  that  was 
fifteen  miles  off;  we  could  not  have  got  to  them.  Dr.  Bessel  said  he  would 
make  a  confidant  of  me  in  regard  to  his  enterprise  of  going  up  north.  He 
was  gone  about  a  day  and  a  half  He  told  us  he  had  crossed  the  channel 
(Smith  Sound),  and  had  been  a  little  over  a  degree  above  the  position  of 
the  house  (at  Thank  God  Harbor),  but  I  don't  think  it  was  possible  by  any 
means.  He  told  Captain  Buddington  he  was  going  inland  to  examine  a 
glacier.  The  discipline  was  good  under  Hall ;  afterward  I  think  the  men 
did  what  they  were  ordered  from  principle,  and  not  from  what  they  consid- 
ered necessity.  One  day  I  was  over  at  the  observatory  with  Dr.  Bessel ;  I 
was  there  a  good  part  of  the  time  then,  in  the  winter.  He  appeared  to  be 
very  light-hijarted,  and  said  "  that  it "  (Hall's  death)  "  was  the  best  thing 
that  could  happen  for  the  expedition."  I  think  those  were  the  words  he 
used.  The  next  day  he  was  laughing  when  he  mentioned  it.  I  was  much 
Inirt  at  the  time,  and  told  him  "  I  wished  he  would  select  somebody  else  as 
an  auditor  if  he  had  any  such  a  thing  to  say."  I  never  passed  a  day  in  the 
Arctic  regions  l)ut  what  at  some  time  of  the  day,  in  the  shade,  I  observed 
salt-water  ice  making,  though  at  the  same  time  the  sun  was  pouring  down 
incessantly  for  twenty -four  hours  in  the  day,  and  the  thermometer  at  that 
time,  40°  to  +50°. 


APPENDIX.  477 

W.  F.  Campbell,  fireman  :  The  coffee  tliat  Captain  Ilall  drank,  on  return 
from  ills  .sledge-journey,  was  made  purposely  for  him,  though  scvenil  others 
had  some  at  the  same  time.  I  saw  him  several  times  during  his  sieknesa, 
but  did  not  speak  to  him.  I  heard  that  some  of  the  men  asked  Dr.  Bessel 
what  he  thought,  and  the  doetor  told  them  that  "  he  would  never  get  over 
it;''  this  was  when  he  was  tirst  siek.  Think  he  died  a  natural  death.  Af- 
ter the  separation,  saw  some  provisions  on  the  ice,  but  no  human  beings.  I 
went  up  to  the  mast-liead  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning.  I  had  a  cat 
on  board  that  we  took  from  Washington ;  it  staid  with  us  Iwth  winters  in 
the  ship,  and  finally  ran  away  from  us  at  Ilakluyt  Island,  as  we  came  down 
in  our  boats.  The  Esquimau.x  at  Life-boat  Cove  had  never  seen  a  cat  be- 
for.',  and  were  mucli  interested  in  it.  They  have  a  name  for  it  in  tlie  Es- 
quimau language,  though  they  have  not  the  animal. 

Washington,  December  24, 1913. 
At  12  M.  Hon.  Geo.  M.  Robeson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Admiral  Rey- 
nolds, Professor  Spencer  F.  Baird,  and  Captain  Ilowgatc  assembled  at  the 
Navy  De2)artment,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  the  statements  of  the  last  three 
of  the  survivors  rescued  from  the  steamship  Polaris,  who  arrived  in  New 
York  November  6,  1873. 

R.  W.  D.  BiiYAN,  astronomer  and  chaplain :  On  reaching  our  highest 
latitude,  August  80,  1H71,  I  believe  the  consultation  was  called,  Ijecause 
Captain  Buddington  had  told  Captain  Hall  that  they  had  gone  as  far  as 
they  could.  A  good  j)art  of  the  time  it  was  foggy,  and  it  was  snowing;  for 
a  short  time  we  had  very  clear  weather ;  then  I  could  see  the  land  on  the 
east  side,  which  seemed  to  end  in  a  point ;  I  saw  also  the  land  on  the  west 
side ;  I  did  not  go  up  aloft ;  far  ahead  we  saw  what  the  sailors  call  a 
"  water  sky ;"  right  around  the  vessel  there  was  quite  a  space  between  the 
different  floes,  so  that  I  was  personally  very  much  provoked  that  they  did 
not  go  up  farther.  Afterward  I  learned  that  a  correct  judgment  could  not 
be  formed  by  looking  from  the  deck.  I  suppose  even  now  they  could  have 
gone  on  for  perhaps  half  a  mile,  but  I  am  very  well  satisfied  they  could  not 
have  gone  any  farther. 

I  never  supposed  that  Captain  Hall  was  so  sick  that  he  would  die  until 
he  did  die,  although  Dr.  Bessel  used  to  say  that  "  if  ho  had  another  attack 
he  would  die ;"  but  then  I  did  not  believe  it.  The  doctor  at  one  time 
wanted  to  administer  a  dose  of  (juinine,  and  the  captain  would  not  take  it. 
The  doctor  came  to  me  and  wanted  me  to  persuade  Captain  Hall  to  take  it. 
I  did  so,  and  I  saw  him  prepare  the  medicine ;  he  had  little  white  crystals, 
and  he  heated  them  in  a  little  glass  bowl ;  heated  the  water  apparently  to 
dissolve  the  crystals.  That  is  all  I  know  about  any  medicine.  It  was 
given  in  the  form  of  an  injection  under  the  skin  in  his  leg.  The  night  be- 
fore he  died,  as  he  went  to  bed,  he  appeared  very  rational  indeed ;  I  remem- 
ber this  very  distinctly.  The  doctor  was  putting  him  to  bed,  and  tucking 
his  clothes  around  him,  when  the  captain  said,  "  Doctor,  you  have  been 
very  kind  to  me,  and  I  am  obliged  to  you."    I  noticed  that  particularly, 


478  APPENDIX. 

because  it  was  a  little  different  from  wliat  he  had  been  saying  to  the  doc- 
tor. Mr.  Morton  told  me  tliut  all  the  evidence  that  he  had  that  he  was 
dead  was  a  cessation  of  breathing.  Just  before  he  died,  he  had  heard  his 
regular  I»rcathing,  and  then  all  of  a  sudden  it  ceased,  and  then  commenced 
again  :  it  ceased  twice,  and  then  altogether.  The  separation  of  the  ice-floe 
party  was  entirely  accidental,  unless  some  person  maliciously  cut  the  rope, 
whi<;h  I  have  no  idea  was  the  case.  The  morning  after,  Mr.  Chester  came 
down  from  the  mast-head  and  reported  that  he  could  see  a  piece  of  ice, 
witli  provisions,  but  not  any  signs  of  the  men ;  that  satisfied  us  all,  because 
we  had  an  idea  that  the  wind  drifted  us  away  from  them,  and  the  current 
took  them  down.  We  had  no  idea  at  all  tliat  any  one  could  see  them.  It 
just  satisfied  us  at  once  that  they  were  too  far  off  to  be  seen.  That  is  the 
reason  no  one  else  went  up  to  look. 

Q.  "  Didn't  any  body  else  go  up  to  the  mast-head  ?" 

A.  No,  sir,  not  that  I  recollect  of;  and  I  think  I  recollect  pretty  accu- 
rately, because  I  remember  I  reproached  myself  all  winter  that  I  did  not  do 
it.  Henry  Hobljy  might  have  gone  up  when  I  was  not  looking,  but  I  do 
not  remember  any  body  else  but  Mr.  Chester.  I  was  transferred  from  the 
Ravenscraig  to  the  Intrepid,  with  Mr.  Mauch  and  Mr.  Booth ;  then,  when 
Captain  Walker,  of  the  Brick,  was  ready  to  sail,  he  offered  to  take  us,  and 
we  went  in  her.  Had  heard  after  Captain  Hall's  death  that  both  Bessel 
and  lhiddingt(m  had  expressed  "relief,"  as  though  they  had  been  under 
some  kind  of  restraint  which  was  not  pleasant,  and  they  were  glad  it  was 
over.  There  was  no  difiiculty  between  Captains  Buddington  and  Tyson 
in  regard  to  the  business  aboard  the  sliip.  After  some  lengthened  conver- 
sation, perhaps,  there  would  be  a  want  of  some  little  cordiality;  but  after  a 
short  time  they  would  be  very  friendly ;  think  some  excuse  ought  to  be 
made  for  Buddington's  appearing  occasionally  under  the  influence  of  liq- 
uor, "  because  so  little  affected  liim."  Others  took  the  liquor  when  they 
could  get  it ;  I  frequently  saw  a  person  with  a  key  belonging  to  a  closet  in 
the  cal)in  where  the  doctor  had  stored  liquor  open  the  door  to  get  some  of 
it.  It  was  Mr,  Schuman,  the  engineer ;  he  made  a  key  to  that  door.  I  do 
not  remember  any  other  one.  I  believe  the  doctor  medicated,  several  of  his 
cans  of  alcohol — put  in  some  tartar-emetic.  I  put  all  my  records  out  on  the 
ice,  containing  astronomical,  magnetic,  and  other  observations;  they  are  all 
lost.  I  had  one  little  plant  that  Dr.  Bessel  did  not  have  in  his  collection. 
No  records  or  instruments  were  left  on  board  the  Polaris.  Some  of  these 
v:^TL  put  in  the  cairn  it  Life-boat  Cove ;  I  think  I  can  answer  that  there  is 
not  much  there.  We  did  not  leave  any  thing  valuable.  The  log  that  has 
been  spoken  of  that  was  preserved  was  the  log  that  Mr.  Chester  wrote.  He 
found  he  had  made  a  mistake  in  the  first  one  ;  that  he  had  left  out  a  day 
in  it,  or  something  of  that  kind ;  and  so,  instead  of  correcting  the  mistake, 
he  started  a  new  one,  and  copied  the  whole  thing  up  to  that  date ;  then  he 
kept  on  writing  the  log.  lie  had  two  large  books ;  then  he  condensed  these 
large  books  into  a  log-book  that  he  brought  back  here,  and  those  two  large 
books  (his  first  copy)  were  buried,when  we  left  the  house,with  the  instruments. 
The  old  log,  that  had  been  copied  twice,  was  left  knocking  around  the  house. 


APPENDIX,  479 

J.  B.  Mauch,  shipped  as  seaman :  Acted  part  of  the  time  as  captain's 
clerk.  I  kept  Captain  Buddinf^ton's  journal,  and  Captain  Hall's;  that  is,  I 
kept  my  own,  and  Captain  Hall  copied  his  from  mine.  He  did  not  write 
much.  The  record  which  he  made  at  Cape  Brevoort  I  copied.  He  dictated 
to  nie  from  the  original.  I  put  tiiat  among  his  records.  In  his  writing- 
desk  was  the  original  paper  from  which  he  dictated  to  me.  [This  desk, 
with  the  paper  referred  to,  was  saved  on  the  ice-floe ;  an  extract  from  it  is 
given  in  the  fac-simile  writing  on  page  128  of  this  volume.  The  whole 
document  is  in  the  Appendix.]  Do  not  know  whether  any  of  Captain 
Hall's  papers  were  destroyed  or  not.  At  Life-boat  Cove  we  had  as  many 
as  one  hundred  and  one  natives  with  us  at  different  times.  The  old  log- 
book was  buried.  Mr.  Chester  wrote  a  new  one.  I  think  you  can  get  the 
correct' ons,  barometrical  and  thermoinetrical,  from  the  observations  in  my 
records. 

J.  W.  Booth,  fireman  :  Only  one  little  accident  happened  to  the  engine; 
the  blow-off  pipe  gave  out  at  St.  Johns,  and  one  of  the  nuts  of  the  revers- 
ing-link  came  off.  When  at  our  highest  latitude,  we  had  from  one  hundred 
and  ten  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  tons  of  coal  left.  In  coming  up  Ken- 
nedy Channel  and  Smith  Sound,  the  propeller  was  making  about  sixty-five 
turns.  After  going  into  winter-quarters,  the  machinery  was  all  taken  apart 
to  preserve  it,  and  to  keep  the  pipes  from  bursting ;  and  it  was  put  in  or- 
der, so  that  it  might  be  put  together  again  in  the  spring.  The  engine  was 
working  better  when  we  beached  her  than  it  ever  did  before.  The  appa- 
ratus which  was  put  on  board  to  burn  blubber  was  never  used  after  it  was 
tried  in  Brooklyn.    I  helped  to  put  it  together  for  them. 


INDEX. 


Admiralty,  British,  62. 
Advance,  the  U.  S.  steamship,  67. 
Agassiz  on  glaciers,  450. 
All  ice  and  Icebergs,  2GG, 
Allen,  Captain,  405. 
Allowance  per  diem  on  floe,  221) ;    re-  I 
•  duced,  28!). 

Ambition,  a  pure,  74.  i 

American  expeditions,  34,  64.  , 

American  flag  raised,  150.  ' 

Annual  reports  of  discoveries  bv  Captain  I 

Hall,  121. 
Amel  Gibbs,  the  whaler,  97. 
Antelope,  the  bark,  {)7. 
Apoplexy,  cases  of,  162.  I 

Appropriation  for  North  Polar  Expedi-  j 

tion,  100. 
Ajctic  adventurers,  20, 
Arctic  chronology,  413-421. 
Arctic,  the  whaler,  407. 
Augustina,  2G3. 

Aurora  borealis,  172,  220,  254,  361. 
Austin,  Captain,  55. 

Baby  bom  on  Polaris,  192 ;  named  Char- 
lie Polaris,  192 ;  on  the  ice-floe,  263. 

Back,  Lieutenant  (Sir  George),  48. 

Baffin,  William,  32, 

Baird,  Professor  Spencer  F.,  2,  433. 

Bait,  cheese  for,  363. 

Baiting  porpoises,  358. 

"Balleeners,"85. 

Barrow,  Sir  John,  44. 

Battery  of  ice-blocks,  321. 

Battle  between  bergs,  325. 

Bay,  Newman,  180. 

Bay,  Polaris,  148. 

Bay,  Roberts,  336. 

"Bear"  and  "Spike," 214. 

Bears,  habits  of,  290,  309 ;  liver  poisons 
crew,  298 ;  shot  by  Joe,  177,  323 ;  shot 
by  Captain  Tyson,  309 ;  shot  by  Lieu- 
tenant H.  C.  White,  370. 

Beechey,  Captain,  42 ;  Beechey  Island,  57. 

Belcher,  Sir  Edward,  60, 149. 

Bellot,  Il^ne,  61. 

Heset  in  the  ice,  98. 

Bessel,  Dr.  Emil,  129;  storm-bound,  166; 

31 


lost  in  the  darkness,  169 ;  snow-bltnd, 

187. 

"  Billy's  "  adventure,  378. 

Birds,  Arctic,  87,  392 ;  blown  out  to  sea, 
384 ;  in  the  rigging,  385. 

Bladder-nose  seal,  289. 

"  Blanket,"  the  seal's,  235. 

Blow-holes  of  seal,  217;  of  narwhals, 
282. 

Blubber,  value  of,  for  lamps,  210 ;  as  food, 
281. 

Boat-journeys,  185-188. 

Boat-steerer,  92, 

Boats  on  Polaris,  103. 

Books,  none  on  ice-floe,  257. 

Booth,  Sir  Felix,  46. 

Biiothia  Peninsula,  50. 

Braine,  Commander,  342;  Bradford,  his 
choice  of  bergK,  302. 

Brevoort,  Cape,  161 ;  J.  Carson,  104, 
467. 

British  Naval  Board,  obtuseness  of,  61. 

Bryan,  li,  W.  D. ,  astronomer  to  Polaris 
expedition,  131 ;  letter  of,  469 ;  testi- 
mony of,  478. 

Buddlngton,  Captain  James,  342;  Sid- 
ney O.,  131,406,407. 

Burial  at  sea,  77. 

Cabot,  John  and  Sebastian,  26. 

Canaries  in  Greenland,  381. 

Canary-bird  rations,  290. 

Cannibalism,  rumors  of,  60 ;   feared,  230. 

Cape  Constitution,  177. 

('ape  Mercy,  95,  97. 

Chamisso  Island,  43. 

Charts,  defective,  148. 

Children  imperiled,  201;  in  snow-hut  on 
floe,  263 ;  in  the  boat,  310 ;  at  St. 
Johns,  339  ;  at  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard, 
350. 

Chipman,  Assistant  Ice-pilot,  358. 

Chivalry,  modem,  73. 

Christmas  on  Polaris,  171 ;  on  the  ice- 
floe, 232, 

"Cleaning  house"  on  the  floe,  274. 

Cleanliness  impossible,  303. 

Clothing  in  Arctic  regions,  native  far,  83 ; 


482 


INDEX. 


Bheep-skin  good  substitute,  390 ;  civil- 
ized, 140,  2,"):^,  280;  inventory  of  Cup- 
tain  TvMMi'.s,  270;  luxury  of  clean, 
277. 

Coal  near  Disco,  421  ;  at  Ivgitut,  South 
(Ireenliuui,  ;}7!»,  .'Wl. 

Cold,  excessive,  7H ;  iio  barrier  to  travel, 
411  ;  ertect  on  crews'  courage,  204. 

Collinson,  C'liptaiii.  01. 

Commagere,  Frank  Y.,  .'J47 ;    his  yam, 

;jr.7. 

Compasses,  variation  of,  44 ;    deviation 

corrected,  3.">(!. 
Conclusions  arrived  at,  411,  412. 
Congress,  U.  S.  steamship,  144. 
(/ongressional  action,  100. 
(/onstellations,  beauty  of  the  Arctic,  247. 
C<x)k,  Captain,  34. 
Crozier,  Captain.  122. 
Cumberland  tJulf,  !>") ;  Captain  Tyson  "at 

home  "  there,  375. 
Curious  record,  373. 
Cylinders,  copper,  thrown  overboard,  148, 

141) ;  buried  on  shore,  101,  187. 

Dai.v,  Judge  Charles  P.,  letter  to,  424. 

Danes  in  (ireenland,  83,  371. 

Danish  officials,  1.35,  137. 

Dannet,  ("aptuin,  51. 

Dante's  ice  hell,  278. 

Davenport,  Captain,  146, 

Davis,  Joim,  20. 

De  Haven,  J^ieutenant,  57,  85. 

De  Long,  Lieutenant,  343. 

Dealy  Island,  01. 

Dease's  jouniev  overland,  and  bv  boat, 
4H. 

Death  of  Captain  C.  F.  Hall,  102,  472. 

Deer-meat  plenty,  11!);  deer  seen,  377. 

"Devil's  Thumb,"  83. 

Dirt  in  snow-huts,  280,  297 ;  unavoidable 
on  floe,  303. 

Discipline,  lack  of,  221. 

Disco,  description  of,  83,  225  ;  hopes  cen- 
tred on,  242. 

Discoveries  of  Captain  C.  F.  Hall,  424 ; 
discoveries,  real  and  supposed,  of  oth- 
ers, 22-24. 

Doctor's  clerk,  301. 

Dogs,  Esquimaux,  154,  177,  215,  896. 

Dovekies  appear,  282. 

Dramatic  series  of  events,  407. 

Drift  of  the  ice-floe  with  Captain  Tyson 
and  party,  197-331  ;  De  Haven's,  84 ; 
M'Clinto'ck's,  63;  Parry's,  45;  British 
ship  liesolute,  95 ;  crew  cf  the  Hansa, 
419. 

Drift-wood,  at  Newman  Bay,  187. 

Drink  bear's  blood,  for  want  of  water,  323. 

Drving-nets  of  Esquimaux,  211. 

Du'ck  Islands,  84 ;  ducks,  87. 

Dundee,  news  from,  407. 


Eastkr-Sundat,  317. 

Eating  frozen  seal  entrails,  237,  258 ;  ev- 
ery jjart  but  bones  and  gull,  270;  his 
"jacket,"  282  ;  seal-skin,  hair  on,  250; 
Bcraji  blubber  from  lamp,  200. 

Ebierbing,  "Joe,"  the  Escpiimau,  221. 

Economizing  paper,  226,  251. 

Eider-ducks,  88. 

Elberg,  (iovenior,  137. 

Electric  clouds,  1()8. 

Era,  schooner,  voyages  in,  98;  log,  rec- 
ords from,  98. 

Erebus  and  Terror,  51 ;  last  seen  by  white 
men,  51 ;  fate  of,  119. 

Es(piimaux,  first  impressions  of,  80  ;  huts, 
209;  tents  and  dress,  83,  401,  409; 
nursery  usage,  339 ;  half-breed  belles, 
372;  music  and  dancing,  312;  boats, 
143,  270,  310  ;  sledges,  287,  349,  390 ; 
dogs,  154,  177;  lamps,  210;  unthrifty, 
213  ;  tribes  of  west  coast  of  Davis 
Strait  neglected  by  Christian  world, 
377 ;  civilized  vices,  377  ;  difference  of 
disposition  in  tribes,  121. 

Tixercisingin  a  space  three  feet  square,  27H. 

Expeditions,  jne-Cohimbian,  25 ;  mercan- 
tile, 25  ;  early  English,  27 ;  to  the  east- 
ward, 27 ;  due  north,  35,  30 ;  overland, 
33,  41,  50;  modern,  44;  early  Ameri- 
can, 34;  modern  American,  04;  Polaris. 
100 ;  first  and  second  Grinnell,  56,  64  ; 
via  Behring  Strait,  34,413;  to  the  north- 
west, 413 ;  via  Spitzbergen  coast,  34, 45 : 
scientific, 44,  419  ;  relief,  53-03;  sledge, 
155,  170, 180;  boat,  41,  45,  186. 

Explorers,  rival,  25. 

Failures  and  successes,  71. 

P'auna,  Arctic,  392. 

Fiords  of  Greenland,  177,  178,  381. 

Fire  in  coal-bunker,  308 ;  fire  "  training." 
357. 

Firing  signals,  327. 

Fiscanaes,  143. 

Flag  presentation,  120 ;  raising,  1.50. 

Floe  separates  from  Polaris,  197 ;  list  of 
persons  on  the  floe,  202 ;  size  of,  201. 
207,  312;  floe  breaks  up,  312-324: 
becomes  a  "  pack,"  .302. 

Fog,  pest  of  northern  regions,  374 ;  a 
black,  385. 

Forlorn  Hope,  the,  03. 

Fox,  Captain  Luke,  104,  415;  Channel, 
31,  415 ;  Arctic,  155,  181,  229 ;  voy- 
age of  the,  63. 

Franklin,  Sir  John,  44 ;  last  expedition 
of,  51 ;  date  of  death,  64  ;  name  strick- 
en from  British  Navy  List,  417;  relics 
of,  57,  04,  120 ;  Lady,  56,  60,  63. 

Frobisher's  gold,  27 ;  relics  collected  by 
C.  F.  Hall.  120 ;  "strait "  resolved  into 
"bay,"  117. 


INDEX. 


483 


Frolic,  U.  S.  steamship,  brings  floe  waifs  to 
Washinj^ton,  341.  > 

Frozen  nienury,  'J'A. 

Fury,  British  steamship,  consort  ofllecla,  ] 
40;   wrecli  of,  4;5 ;   beach,  421. 

Gales,  violent,  IfiS,  174,  107,  320,  382.     ! 

Game  plenty,  392 ;  scarce  on  floe,  230- 
232;  at  extreme  north,  181,  3!)2. 

Geographical  Society,  124;  (Captain  Hall 
addresses  the,  12(5 ;  reports  to,  414. 

George  Henry,  the  whaler,  92. 

(Heorgiana,  the  brig,  9(J. 

German  efficiency,  30G. 

German  element  on  Polaris,  134 ;  on 
floe,  231 ;  expeditions,  418,  W.). 

Gilbert,  Sir  Humphrey,  28. 

Glaciers,  how  to  observe,  4r)0 ;  in  Green- 
land, 2(J6;  extinct,  187,  3!»1 ;  extent 
of  the  Humboldt, 2GG;  discharge  of,475. 

Glorious  spectacle,  a,  ru>. 

Goodhavn,  harbor  of,  83,  135. 

"  Gradgrinds,"  ancient,  G9. 

Grant,  President,  343. 

Grave  of  Captain  Hall,  190 ;  re-arranged, 
192. 

Greenland,  early  settlement  of,  24 ;  rug- 
ged coast,  3G2;  interior  plateaux  of, 
394;  mer  -  (/e  -  9/ate,  2GG ;  inhabitants, 
80,  371;  officials,  135,  137;  "cap- 
tains," 38. 

Greer,  Commander  James  A.,  347;  his 
success,  354. 

Grinnell  Land,  22 ;  first  expedition,  56 ; 
second,  GO. 

Ground-tackle  lost,  193. 

Hall,  Captain  Charles  Francis,  G4 ; 
early  life  and  traits,  113;  Arctic  expe-  j 
ditions  of,  1 16,  118  ;  lives  with  the  Es-  j 
quimaux,  125;  letters  of,  102, 105,  111,  ' 
132;  his  last  public  address,  127;  idio-  i 
syncrasy,  137 ;  geographical  reports,  j 
121 ;  his  early  discoveries,  119  ;  at  New  1 
London,  Conn.,  99 ;  persevering  efforts,  i 
125;  appointed  to  command  U.  S.  steam-  j 
ship  Polaris,  101 ;  his  sledge-journey,  ' 
155;  his  premonitions,  127;  his  illness  ; 
and  death,  162,  472 ;  facsimile  of  his 
writing,  128.  i 

Hall  Land  named,  166.  ; 

Hannah,  wife  of  Ebierbing,  221 ;  leaims 
white  manr.ers,  303 ;  afraid  of  being 
eaten,  230. 

Hans,  native  Esquimau,  136 ;  mistaken 
for  a  bear,  218  ;  kills  and  eats  two 
dogs,  213 ;  his  family  hut  on  the  floe, 
263 ;  at  St.  Johns.  336 ;  reminiscences 
of,  248,  274 ;  Mrs.  Hans's  summer  ar- 
rangements in  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard, 
350;  returns  to  Greenland  on  Tigress, 
850 ;  compelled  to  wash,  362. 


Harbor,  Thank  God,  latitude  of,  LIS. 

Ilarjioon  metamorphosed,  275. 

Ilartstenc,  Lieutenant,  G3. 

Iliiwk.  interviewed  aloft,  385. 

Hayes,  Dr.  I.  L,  24,  G7. 

Henry's,  Professor,  instructions  to  Scien- 

tific  ('orps,  431. 
Hili^ard,  Professor,  433. 
n()i)soii.  Lieutenant,  64. 
Holsteiiiborg,  80. 
Hojie  abandoned,  208 ;  the  preserver  of 

man,  2G1. 
Hudson,  Henry,  31 ;  Bav  Company,  48. 

Hunger,  pains  of,  232. 

Hunting  bears,  177;   musk -cattle,  180: 

seal,  79;  for  "specimens," 378. 
Hurricane,  Arctic,  175,  278. 

IcK,  groaning,  195 ;  fresh-water  ice  melt- 
ed to  drink,  195,  279,  402  ;  salt-water, 
to  season  soup,  279 ;  pash,  204,  322 ; 
young.  270;  frightful  noises  of  break- 
ing, 296. 

Icebergs,  how  formed,  2G6  ;  their  differ- 
ent forms,  267 ;  various  histories,  infi- 
nite variety,  267 ;  excitement  on  near- 
ing,  3(i3;  narrow  escape  from,  385;  a 
beautiful  sight,  363;  naive  comments 
on,  359, 

Igloo,  or  native  hut,  209. 

Igloolik  Island,  426. 

Illusions,  Arctic,  24. 

Inglefield,  Captain,  61. 

Insects,  Arctic,  392. 

Instructions,  official,  to  Captain  Hall, 
108  ;  to  Scientific  Cor|)s,  109. 

Intrepid,  the  whaler,  407. 

Isabel,  voyage  of,  60,  Gl. 

Isabella,  the,  48. 

Ivgitut,  South  Greenland,  379. 

Ivory,  article  of  commerce,  273;  royal 
chair  of  Denmark  made  of,  273. 

Janskjj,  Governor,  146 ;  sharp  on  a  trade. 
139. 

"Joe"  and  Hannah,  348;  his  hunting 
qualities,  219,  249  ;  his  valuation  of 
seal,  284  ;  his  opinion  of  sailors,  278 : 
shoots  a  bear,  177,  323;  his  shrewd- 
ness on  Tigress,  351. 

Kane,  Dr.  E.  K.,  59,  60,  '^4. 

Kellet,  Captain,  53. 

Kennedy,  Captain,  23,  24,  61 ;  Channel, 

148. 
King,  Dr.,  48. 
KiTigituk,  146. 
Krvolite,  379,  281. 
Kyack,  270,  286,  287,  314. 

Labrador,  coast  of,  269,  295. 


484 


INDEX. 


liake  discovered  l)y  Captain   Ilidl,  101, 

4'-'.-. ;   ( Jreat  Hear.  48  ;   Musk  Ox,  48. 
Lainont,  James,  F. U.S.,  4r.t. 
Lamps,  native,  210;  itnpi<)vi<oJ  nn  floe, 

211 ;  heating  power  ut',  2'J'.i,  '2'Ji. 
Latitude,  highest  attained  by  Polaris,  l."»0; 

of  Thank  (iixi  Harbor,  153;  of  ice-floe 

party  when  rescued,  '6'i'i. 
Lenunings,  181. 
Life-l»oat  Cove,  400. 
Littleton  Ishind,  :{(;.">,  300. 
Livers  of  bear  and  oogjook  poisonous,  298. 
I^og-book  records,  08,  111);    inutihitions 

of,  3.->4. 
Lupton,  Colonel  James,  2 ;  Cape,  ir>2. 

.VI'Clellan,  the  bark,  77. 

M-Clintock,  Captain,  68,  59,  G3. 

.MHMure,  (Captain,  Gl. 

.Mackenzie  Kiver,  42. 

.Magazine,  guarding  the,  357. 

.Magnetic  pole  discovered,  47;  effect  on 

compasses,  44. 
Magnetism,  terrestrial,  410,  436. 
Meek,  Professor,  433. 
Melting  ice  for  drink,  279. 
Melville  Bay,  79,  80,  343;  ice-pack  in, 

389 ;  Island,  54. 
Mental  coercion,  providential,  02. 
Mtr -de -glace,  the  feeder  of  Humboldt 

Glacier,  2GG. 
Mercury  frozen,  254. 
.Meteorology,  438. 
Meyers,  Fred.,   130 ;    surveys    Newman 

Bay,  180;  separated  from  party,  313; 

frozen,  314 ;  a  ])icture  of  famine,  318  ; 

grotesque  misery  of,  319. 
.Middle  ice,  79. 

Miik,  how  procured  on  the  ice-floe,  310. 
.Mineralogy,  349,  378,  379. 
-Mistakes  of  explorer,  22. 
.Mock  moons,  175;  mock  sans,  176. 
.Modern  facilities  for  Arctic  research,  72, 
Molleinokes,  tricks  on,  88. 
Monticello,  the  bark,  118. 
Musk-cattle,   habits   of,   181  ;    Labrador 

species,  154 ;    skins  used  for  bedding, 

201 ;  peculiar  strategy  of,  181 ;  found 

far  north,  392. 

Narwhals,  description  of,  272,  273;  good 

to  carry  otr  shot,  277,  281. 
National  Academy  of  Sciences,  428. 
Newcomb,  Professor,  433. 
Newman   Bay,  IGl,  181 ;    Dr.  at  Disco, 

144;  writes  three  prayers  for  Polaris 

expedition,  145. 
New-year's-day  on  the  floe,  237. 
New  whaling-ground,  427. 
Night,  Arctic,  220,  247 ;  a  fearful,  321. 
Nipped  in  ice,  danger  of,  168. 
Nomenclature,  Arctic,  21. 


North  Pole,  orders  to  reach,  30,  34  ;  invi- 
tation to  visit,  105;  probable  geograph- 
ical features  of,  388 ;  how  to  recognize 
the  spot,  127;  Chaplain  Tyson's  plan  to 
'      get  tliere,  393. 

Northumberland  Island,  352,  3G2. 
i  North-west  passage,  28 ;  made  by  Captain 
M'Clure  over  ice,  Gl ;  by  Captain  Col- 
linson  in  bis  ship,  Gl ;  probably  made 
by  Franklin,  1 19. 

Nothing  to  read  on  the  floe,  257. 

OnsKKVATioxs,  proof  of  genuineness,  109; 

faulty,  229,  243,  247. 
Oil-boiler,  194,  479. 
Oo^gook,  or  monster  seal,  291  ;    thirty 

gallons  of  oil    taken  from,  291 ;  liver 

poisons  the  crew,  298." 
Oomiak,  or  woman's  boat,  104,  316. 
One  full  meal,  220. 

One  short  meal  a  day.  reduced  to,  289. 
"Open  Polar  .sea"  non  est,  148. 
Orray  Tuft,  the  whaler,  97. 
Osborne,  Lieutenant  Sherrard,  57,  58. 
Overhanging  bergs,  316. 

Pains  of  hunger,  222. 

Paraselene,  175. 

Pariielia,  17G. 

Parker,  Captain,  91. 

Parry,  Captain,  37,  42,  45. 

Peabody,  George,  GO. 

Pemmican,  how  composed,  215;  made 
into  "tea"  or  "soup," 233. 

Pendulum  experiments,  70. 

Penny,  Captain,  55,  5G. 

Periioinkle,  U.  S.  steamship,  101. 

Pim,  Lieutenant,  Gl. 

Plateaux  of  Hall  Land  and  Greenland, 
394. 

Plover,  British  steamer,  53,  56. 

Polar  Sea  discussed,  148,  388. 

"Polaris, Charlie,"  Hans's  baby,  192,  263, 
323. 

Polaris,  U.  S.  steamship  commissioned, 
101 ;  description  of,  102-104 ;  officers 
and  crew,  list  of,  112 ;  reaches  highest 
latitude,  150 ;  drifts  southward,  193 ,  is 
abandoned,  400;  presented  to  Esqui- 
maux chief,  401  ;  founders,  367;  a 
twice-copied  log  brought  home,  478. 

Pole,  magnetic,  47 ;  geographical,  127. 

Pond  Bay  renamed,  22. 

Porj)oises,  angling  for ;  how  taken,  358. 

Port  Foulk  as  base  of  supplies,  394. 

"Pounding-day"  on  the  floe,  274. 

Prayers  used  by  the  Polaris  expedition, 
145,  160 ;  composed  by  Dr.  Newman, 
159. 

Profit  and  loss  of  Arctic  exploration,  67. 

Providence  Berg  named  by  Captain  Hall, 
151 ;  it  splits  in  two,  168. 


INDEX. 


486 


I'rovisions  on  the  ice-floe,  202 ;  how  di- 
vidcil,  212. 

Punev,  Joe  and  Hannah's  adopted  daugh- 
ter^ 211,202. 

QcATLE,  Captain,  85 ;  John,  92,  93. 
Questions,  curious,  332. 

Rak,  Dr.  John,  .lO. 

Itations  weighed  out  hy  the  ounce,  212  ,* 
effect  of  insufficient,  222. 

Ravenscraiff,  the  wiialer,  40'). 

Records,  orders  for  keeping,  109. 

Reindeer,  173,  404. 

Reliance  on  God  alone,  26!t. 

Relics  of  Frobisher's  expedition,  117;  of 
Franlilin's,  120;  of  Captain  C.  F.  Hall, 
1.19  ;  of  U.  S.  steamship  Polaris,  3'>r>. 

Refraction,  curious  efiects  of,  24 ;  causes 
mistakes,  24. 

Relief  parties,  r)3-f.3,  04, 119. 

liensseluer  Harbor,  ice  encumbered,  39.'». 

Reporter  of  New  York  Herald  on  Ti- 
gress, 347. 

Rescue,  the  tender  to  Advance,  r>7 ;  lost, 
97  ;  rescue  parties  (see  Relief)  of  ice- 
floe party,  331 ;  of  Polaris  survivors, 
405. 

Resolute,  British  ship,  finding  of  the,  93 ; 
drift  of,  95. 

Resolution  Island,  78. 

Repulse  Bay,  97 ;  harbor,  150. 

Robeson,  Hon.  George  M.,  Secretary 
United  States  Navy,  2 ;  Channel,  149. 

Roquette,  M.  De  la,  37. 

Ross,  Sir  John,  37,  47;  James  C,  47, 
.54. 

Rudolph,  Governor,  137. 

Sailors'  tricks,  87 ;  parlor,  50. 

Saturday-night  usage,  309. 

Scarcity  of  game  on  floe,  275. 

Scenery,  Arctic,  153. 

Schoonmaker,  commander  U.  S.  steam- 
ship Frolic,  341 ;  report  of,  341. 

Scientific  instructions,  431 ;  notes,  410; 
devotees,  71. 

Scotch  hospitality,  406;  whalers,  371, 
377. 

Sea-drenched,  315. 

Seals,  different  species,  236 ;  meat  heat- 
giving,  290  ;  blubber  of,  210  ;  how 
caught,  217,  230;  blood -soup,  250; 
saving  the  blood  on  floe,  272 ;  a  pet, 
89 ;  small  Greenland,  286 ;  divided  a  la 
Esquimaux,  235;  bladder- nose,  78, 
289 ;  size  of  a  rare  specimen,  195 ;  on 
the  ice-floe  eat  the  whole  but  gall  and 
bones,  270 ;  six  hundred  killed  by  the 
crew  of  the  Tigress,  334. 

Separation  of  floe  from  Polaris,  198 ;  lo- 
cality of,  398. 


Sheddon,  Rolwrt,  5.^. 

Shot  used  for  weights,  212. 

Signal  set  on  tlie  floe,  204  ;  fire,  of  blub- 
ber, 326. 

Silence  of  Arctic  night,  170. 

Simpson  and  Dease's  journey,  46. 

"Sick-list,"  none  kept  on  Polaris,  473; 
all  hands  after  the  rescue,  335;  crew 
on  the  floe  from  eating  oogjook-liver, 
298. 

Sixty  hours  of  storm-turmoil,  301. 

Sledges,  native,  396;  improved,  349;  of 
unfranied  skins,  287;  excursion  of  Cap- 
tain Hall,  155;  of  Dr.  Bessel,  176 ;  of 
Captain  Tyson,  180. 

Smith  Sound,  currents  of,  3H8 ;  pack-ice 
of,  395  ;  little  ice  in  winter  in,  389 ;  In- 
spector Karrup,  1,35. 

Smithsonian  Institution,  413. 

Snow,  red,  analyzed,  37  ;  snow-blindness, 
189 ;  huts,  how  built,  209 ;  Mr.  W.  P., 
56. 

Snf)wed  under,  202 ;  in,  264. 

Solemn  entrj'  in  jonrnid  in  view  of  death, 
259. 

Soup,  ice-floe  recipes  for,  223,  224,  310. 

Southern  fiord,  177. 

Sphinx,  the  northem,  19. 

St.  Johns,  port  of,  1.33 ;  trouble  at,  134. 

Stars,  beauty  of,  247. 

Stealing  food,  250,  318. 

Steam  first  used  on  Arctic  waters,  46. 

Steamship  sighted  from  floe,  204,  326. 

"Stone- fever, "a  bad  case  of,  378. 

Succi's  chronic  cry,  263. 

Suicide,  reflections  on,  294. 

Summer  tents  of  natives,  125,  401. 

Sumner,  Senator,  100 ;  head-land,  423. 

Sun,  Arctic  summer,  153,  187,  188;  dis- 
appears, 157  ;  re-appears,  175,  246 ; 
mock,  176. 

Sunday  on  Polaris,  142, 166 ;  on  Tigreu, 
360. 

"Symmes's  Hole,"  148. 

"  Table-turning"  without  spirits,  379. 

"Tea,"  pemmican,  233. 

Terror,  British  steamship  (see  Erebus),  51. 

Tessuisak  (or  Tossac),  harbor  of,  138. 

Thanksgiving-day  on  Polaris,  169 ;  on  the 
floe,  233. 

Thermometer  useless;  mercury  frozen, 
254. 

Tides,  173,  410. 

Tigress,  the,  rescues  ice-floe  party,  335 ; 
bought  by  United  States  Government, 
344 ;  sails  in  search  of  Polaris  and  sur- 
vivors of  expedition,  350 ;  reaches  Lit- 
tleton Island,  353 ;  a  stormy  voyage — 
returns  to  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard — pleas- 
ant remembrance  of  officers,  387 ;  list 
of  ofiBcers  and  crew,  347. 


4m 


INDEX. 


Tobacco,  praise  of,  28.'1,  29:1 ;    n  present 
of,  '_'!•:» ;  out  of,  a:i2. 

Tohiiis,  the  little  Ihjv,  stick  on  the  floe,  257, 
2t>;{ ;  recovered,  .'{02. 

Too-k(K)-lito  (see  Iliinnuh). 

TosHjic  (see  Tcssuisuk). 

Toiijjli  eating,  2.'<.">. 

True  Lore,  the,  an  old  English  whaler,  91. 

"Turning  in  "  on  the  floe,  ol'G. 

Tyson,  ('«i)tain  (Jeorge  E.,  7*i;  early  life 
and  first  whaling  voyage,  77 ;  as  boat- 
steerer  on  the  lieorife  Ilenrij ;  sights 
the  Hritish  ship  Resolute,  !»2 ;  goes 
over  the  ice  to  her  with  three  com- 
panions, lt;{ :  rcftorts  his  treasure-trove 
to  his  captain,  9.') ;  sails  as  master  of 
brig  (teurjfiann,  'Mi ;  takes  the  first  whale 
ever  caught  in  llepulse  Bay,  97 ;  subse- 
(pient  voyages  of,  98 ;  meets  Captain  C. 
F.  Hall  in  Arctic  regions,  97;  supplies 
him  with  a  boat,  98 ;  joins  Polaris 
e.xpedition,  99;  makes  sledge -journey 
north,  180 ;  goes  on  boat  exjjcdition  \ 
to  Newman  Bay,  18(!  ;  proposes  i)e- 
destrian  trip,  188 ;  separated  from  Po- ' 
laris,  198 ;  his  fortunes  on  the  ice- 
floe, 198-328 ;  drifts  one  hundred  and 
ninety-six  days,  lilU  ;  sails  in  searching 
steamship  Tigress,  'Si>6  ;  visits  Budding- 
ton's  deserted  camp,  3GG;  journal  of 
cruise,  35G-38C. 


Unexi'i.ored  area,  73. 

United  States  Arctic  expeditions,  125. 

Upernavik,138,371 ;  agoodtimethere,372. 

Useless  cruising,  383. 

Uses  of  Arctic  exploration,  68. 


Vki,(K'itv  of  Arctic  winds,  I7<;. 
Victory,  the   first   steamship   in   Arctic 

seas,  4f!. 
Visited  by  land-birds,  319,  .184. 
Visitor,  an  unmannerly,  250. 

Walk  to  Captain  Hall's  grave,  175;  a  ten- 
miles'  walk  on  the  floes,  29(5. 

Walker,  ('ape,  00,  02. 

Walrus,  hanl  to  kill,  147 ;  the  sealer,  .340. 

Water,  drinking — how  obtained  on  floe, 
279. 

Waves,  force  of,  382. 

Weakness,  evidences  of,  213,  28C. 

Wellington  Channel,  .59. 

Whale-meat  "  drugs,"  90. 

Whales,  tlitt'erent  species,  85;  "right  " 
and  white,  size  of,  80 ;  prolonged  strug- 
gle with  a,  86. 

White,  Lieutenant,  I'^nited  States  Navy, 
370;  Captain  E.  W.,  letter  of,  423. 

Winds,  Arctic,  107,  440. 

Winter-quarters,  of  Barentz,  29,  420 ;  in 
Cumberland  (Jnlf,  89;  jireparing  for,  at 
Thank  (iod  Harbor,  158;  Biiddington's, 
402;  Dr.  Hayes's,  394;  Dr.  Kane's,  389; 
at  Niountelik,  98. 

Without  water  to  drink,  313. 

Woolen  clothing  in  Arctic  climate,  146. 

Wrangel,  Baron,  his  open  I'olar  sea, 
33. 


York,  Cape,  364. 
Young  ice,  201,  271. 


Zero,  forty  degrees  below,  255,  473. 
Zoology,  Arctic,  390,  412. 


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Wccncry,  HwlicH,  mid  Triidilioii«  of  tliu  War  for  Indupcndniirn.  liy  Uknmon  J. 
LoHKi.Mo.  'i  voIk.,  Hvo,  i;l(Hti,  $14  W);  Khcep,  $16  <>0;  Half  Calf,  |l«  (K);  Full 
Turkey  Mcjrocco,  ■^tt  IK). 

LOfiSINO'S  FIEL»-1«)0K  OF  TIIR  WAK  OP  1812,  Pictorial  Fi.Id-Book  of  thf 
War  of  ISI'J;  or,  Ill'iHtnitloii»<,  by  \'y\\  and  I'oncil,  of  the  lli^tory,  Uioijrapliy, 
Hcciiery,  KclicH,  and  Tradition»  of  the  Liint  War  for  Atrujrican  Iiideix-nderico.  iJy 
UK^(Mo^r  J.  Lohmino.  Willi  cevcral  hiiiidrfd  Kiit{ravin(,'H  on  Wood,  iiy  LohhIijj;  and 
Bsrritt,  chiefly  from  Original  Hketctiei*  by  tlio  Author.  KW8  paeen,  8vo,  Cloth, 
$T(K);  Sheep.iiiHfiO;  IlL'lfCalf,$10(MJ. 

ALFORD'8  OltEEK  TESTAMENT  The  Greek  Testament :  with  a  critically  revlned 
Text;  a  iJi'zext  of  Varh/UH  iieadinK";  MarL'inal  KeferenccM  to  Verbal  and  Idio- 
matic Umicc!;  I'rol'jjjomcn  I  i  and  a  C;riti<:a7  and  KxcL'elical  Conimcntury.  For 
the  IJfo  of  Theoloifical  Htrdentn  and  MlnlnterM.  Hy  IIk.nbv  Ai.fORii,  I),D.,  Dean 
of  Cauterbnry.  V',-!.  I.;  containing  the  Four  Oonpels.  »44  pairen,  8vo,  Cloth, 
$«  0(» ;  Sliecp,  .*«  '.M. 

AUBOTT'S  FREnEmCK  THE  GREAT.  The  Hls'tory  of  Frederick  the  Second, 
(;:ill(!d  Frederick  the  Great,  Uy  Jon.v  S.  C,  Aiwiott.  Elewiutly  Illustrated.  8vo, 
(Jlotli,  its  (to. 

ABBOTT'S  IITSTORY  OP  THE  FREXCII  REVOLUTION,     The  French  Revoln 
tionof  ITSi^,  aH  viewed  in  theLi^'htof  Republican  IngtltutiuQtf,    By  John  8.  C.  An- 
BOTT,    With  1(K>  Engravin>,'H,    8vo,  Cloth,  $6  00, 

ABBOTT'S  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  The  III«tory  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte.  By 
John  S.  C.  Aiimott,  With  MapH,  Woodcute,  uuu  PortraiiM  on  btecl.  %  voln., 
8vo,  Cloth,  $10  00. 

ABBOTT'S  NAPOLEON  AT  ST.  HELENA ;  or,  Tnterentlnp;  Anecdote*  and  Remark- 
able ConverHatiotm  of  the  Kmperor  during  the  Five  and  ii  Half  Yearn  of  hin 
Captivity.  (Jollected  from  the  Memorlaln  of  Lan  CasaH,  O'Meara,  Monthulon, 
Antonimarchi,  and  others.  By  John  B.  C.  Auhott.  With  Illu«tratiouH.  8vo, 
Cloth,  $6  0(». 

ADDISON'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Works  of  Joseph  Addison,  embraclnj,'  the 
whole  of  ihe  "Spectator."    Complete  in  3  vols.,  Hvo,  Cloth,  $0  00. 

ALCOCK'S  JAPAN.  The  Capital  of  the  Tycoon:  a  Narrative  of  a  Three  Years' 
ReHidence  in  Japan.  By  Sir  KtrruKKKoun  AuiooK,  K.C.B.,  Her  Maj»;i<ly'«  Envoy 
Extraordinary  and  MiniKtcPieaipoteutiary  in  Japan.  With  Maps  and  Euf^ravin^'s. 
li  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $a  50. 

ALISON'S  HISTORY  OP  ELTIOPE.  Fibbt  Skbiks:  From  the  Commencement  of 
the  French  Revolution,  in  17Hi».  to  the  K<!Htoration  of  the  Bourbons,  in  1815.  t  In 
addition  to  the  Notes  on  Chapter  LXXVI.,  which  correct  the  errors  of  the 
original  work  concerning  the  I'nltcd  Slates,  a  copious  Analytical  Index  has  been 
appended  to  this  American  edition. 1  Hkooxi* Skbiks:  From  the  Fall  of  Napolerjn, 
iu  1815,  to  the  Accession  of  Louis  Napoleon,  iu  185'2.    8  vols,,  8vu,  Cloth,  $10  M. 

BALDWIN'S  PRE-HISTORIC  NATIONS.  Pre-IIistorlc  Nations ;  or.  Inquiries  con- 
cernliiL'  some  of  the  Great  Peoples  and  Civiii/.iitioiis  of  Aiiti(|uity,  and  their 
Probahle  Relation  to  a  still  Older  Civilization  of  the  Ethiopians  or'Cushltes  of 
Arabia.  By  Jon;*  D.  Baldwin,  Member  of  the  American  Oriental  Society, 
12mo,  Cloth,  $1  78, 

BARTirS  NORTH  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  Trnvcls  and  Discoveries  In  North 
and  Central  Africa:  beini;  a  Journal  of  an  Expedition  undertaken  under  the 
Auspices  of  H.  B.  M.'s  Government,  In  the  Years  1849-1850.  By  Henby  Babtii, 
Ph.D.,  D.C'.L.     Illustrated.    3  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $12  00. 

HENRY  WARD  BEECHER'S  SERMONS.  Sermons  by  Henry  Wabp  BuKcnKU, 
Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn.  Selected  from  Published  and  Unpublished  Dis- 
courses, and  Revised  by  their  Author.  With  Steel  Portrait.  Complete  In  !2  vols., 
8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

LYMAN  BEECHER'S  AUTOBIOGRAPHY,  &c.  Autobiography,  Correspondence, 
Ac,  of  Lyman  Beecher,  D.D.  Edited  by  his  Son,  Cuablks  Bkki^iikb.  With  Three 
.St<!el  Portraits,  and  ErigravinKS  on  Wood.    In  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  «I6  00, 

BOSWELL'S  JOHNSON,  The  Life  of  Samuel  Johnson.  LL.D,  Including  i*  Journey 
to  the  Hebrides.  By  Jamks  BoswKi.r,,  Eso.  A  New  Edition,  with  numerout 
Additions  and  Notes.  By  John  Wiwon  C>okeb,  LL.D.,  F.K.8.  Portrait  of 
Boiwell.    2  Tols.,  Hvo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

SABA  COLERIDGp;'S  MEMOIR  AND  LETTERS.  Memoir  and  Letters  of  Sara 
Coleridge.  Edited  by  her  Daaghter.  With  Two  Fortraita  on  Steel.  Crown  8vo, 
Cloth,  $2  50. 

SlIAK^PEARE,  The  Dramatic  Work*  of  William  Shakspcare,  with  the  Corrections 
and  Illustrations  of  Dr.  Johnson  G.  Strkvkns,  and  others.  Revised  by  Isaao 
Rkeii.    Engravluifs.    6  vols.,  Royal  12mo,  Cloth,  $9  00. 


4     Harper  df  Brothers'  Valuable  and  Interesting  Works. 

DRAPER'S  civil.  WAR  Hlotory  of  the  American  Civil  War.  By  John  W.  Dba. 
I'KB,  M.D.,  LL.  D.,  ProfecBor  iif  Chemistry  uud  Phygiology  in  the  University  of 
New  Yorlc.    In  Three  VoIh.    8vo,  Cloih,  $3  W)  per  vol. 

DRAPER'S  INTELLECTUAL  DEVELOPMENT  OP  EUROPE.  A  Ilistory  of  the 
Iiitellcrtuiil  Development  of  Europe.  By  John  W.  Duai'kb,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  ProfeH»- 
or  of  Chemistry  and  Physiolojjy  lu  the  University  of  New  Yurie    8vo,  Cloth,  $B  (K) 

DRAPER'S  AMERICAN  CIVIL  POLICY.  ThonghtB  on  the  Puturs  Civil  Policy  of 
Ameritii.  By  John  \V.  Dkai-kr,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  ofChemlstry  and  Physiol" 
opy  in  the  University  of  New  York.    Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  60. 

DU  ClI  4  ILLU'S  AFRICA.  Explorations  and  Adventures  In  Eauatorial  Africa  with 
Accounts  of  the  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  People,  and  or  the  Chase  of  the  Oo- 
rilla,  the  Crocodile,  Leopard,  Elephant,  Hippopotamus,  and  other  Animals.  By 
Paiii.  B.  Dti  CiiAiLi.u.  Numerous  Illustrations.    8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

3ELLOW8'S  OLD  WORLD.  The  Old  World  in  its  New  Face :  ImpressionB  of  Eu* 
rope  in  ls«7-18AS.    By  IIbnev  w.  uellows.    'i  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  CO. 

BROD HEAD'S  HISTORY  OF  NEW  YORK.  History  of  the  State  of  New  Yorlt, 
By  John  Romkvn  Bkodukau.    1609-16'Jl.    2  vols,    8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00  per  vol. 

BROUGHAM'S  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  Life  and  Times  of  Henry,  Loei.  Bbouoham. 
Written  hy  Himcelf.    In  Three  Volumes.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00  per  vol. 

BULWER'S  PROSE  WORKS.  Miscellaneous  Prose  Worlcs  of  Edward  Bulwer. 
Lord  Lytton.    2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  fiO. 

BULWER'S  HORACE.  The  Odes  and  Epodes  of  Horace.  A  Metrical  Translation 
into  Enelish.  With  Introduction  and  Commentaries.  By  Loud  Lvtton.  With 
Latin  Text  from  the  Editions  of  Orelli,  Macleane,  and  Yonge.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  78. 

BULWER'S  KINO  ARTHUR.  A  Poem.  By  Eabl  Lytton.  New  Edition.  12mo, 
Cloth,  $1  75. 

BURN.S'S  LIFE  AND  WORKS.  The  Lif,'  and  Works  of  Robert  Bums.  Edited 
by  RoiiRUT  CuAMiiEns.    i     •'"  ,  12mo,  Ci,>tb,  $6  00. 

BEINL^ER,  DOGS,  AND  SNOW-SHOES.  A  Journal  of  Siberian  Travel  and  Ex- 
ploi..:lons  made  in  the  Years  18G5-'67.  By  Ricuabd  J.  licsu,  late  of  the  RuBSO- 
American  Telegraph  Expedition.    Illustrated.    Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

CARLYLE'S  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT.  History  of  Friedrich  XL,  called  Frederick 
the  Great.  By  Tuomab  Cablyle.  Portraits,  Maps,  Plans,  &c.  6  vols.,  12mo, 
Cloth,  $12  00. 

CARLYLE'S  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  History  of  the  French  Revolution.  Newly 
Revised  by  the  Author,  with  Index,  &c.    2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  60. 

CARLYLE'S  OLIVER  CROMWELL.  Letters  and  Speeches  of  Oliver  Cromwell 
With  Elucidations  and  Connecting  Narrative.    2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  60. 

CHALMERS'S  POSTHUMOUS  WORKS.  The  Posthumons  Works  of  Dr.  Chalmers. 
Edited  by  his  Son-in-Law,  Rev.  William  Hanna,  LL.D.  Complete  in  i)  vols., 
12mo,  Cloth,  $13  SO. 

COLERIDGE'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Complete  Works  of  Simnel  Taylor 
Coleridge.  With  an  Introductory  Essay  upon  his  Philosophical  and  Theological 
Opinions.  Edited  by  Professor  Sug»i>.  Complete  in  Seven  Vols.  With  a  line 
Portrait.    Small  8vo,  Cloth,  $10  BO. 

DOOLITTLE'S  CHINA.  Social  Life  of  the  Chinese :  with  some  Account  of  their  Re 
ligious,  Governmental,  Educational,  and  Business  Customs  and  Opinions.  Willi 
special  but  not  exclusive  Reference  to  Fiihchau.  By  Rev.  Jcbtdb  Doolittlp  . 
Fourteen  Years  Member  of  the  Fuhchau  Mission  of  the  American  Board,  llhis- 
truted  with  more  than  160  cbaracteristtc  Engravings  on  Wood.  2  vols.,  12uiu, 
Cloth,  $5  00. 

GIBBON'S  ROME.  History  of  the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire.  By  En- 
WARii  GiJiiioN.  With  Notes  by  Rev.  H.  H.  Mu.man  and  M.  Gcizot.  A  new  cheap 
Edition.  To  which  is  added  &  complete  Index  of  the  whole  Work,  and  a  Portrait 
of  the  Author.    6  vols.,  12mo,  Uloth,  $9  00. 

HAZEN'S  SCHOOL  AND  ARMY  IN  GERMANY  AND  FRANCE.  The  School 
and  the  Army  in  Germany  and  France,  with  a  Diary  of  Siege  Life  at  Veisailles. 
By  Brevet  Miijor-General  W.  B.  Hazrn.  U.S.A..  '"olonel  Sixth  Infantry.  Ci(iw» 
8vo,  Cloth,  $.'  .V). 

TYERMAN'8  WESLEY.  The  Life  and  Times  of  the  Rev.  John  Wesley,  M.A., 
Founder  of  the  Methodists.  By  the  Rev.  Litkk  Ttkbman,  Author  of  "The  Life 
of  Rev.  Samuel  Wesley."    Portraits.     8  vols..  Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $7  60. 

VAMBfiRY'S  CENTRAL  ASIA.  Travels  in  Central  Asia.  Being  the  Account  of  a 
Journey  from  Teheran  across  the  Turkoman  Desert,  on  the  Eastern  Shore  of  the 
Caspian,  to  Khiva,  Bokhara,  and  Samarcand,  performed  in  the  Year  186.^.  By 
Ahminiuh  VAmii^by,  Member  of  the  Hungarian  Academy  of  Pesth,  by  whom  he 
was  sent  on  this  Scientiflc  Mission.    With  Map  and  WoodcotJi.    8vo,  Cloth,  $4  60. 


Harper  <5v  Brothers'  Valuable  and  Interesting  Works.      5 


THOMSON'S  LAND  AND  THE  BOOK.  The  Land  and  the  Book:  or,  lill.licnl 
Illustration!!  drawn  from  the  Manners  and  Cuntomg,  the  Scenes  and  the  Scenery 
of  the  Holy  Land.  By  W.  M.  TiroMsox,  D.  D.,  Twenty-flve  Years  a  MlKHJonary 
of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  in  Syria  and  Palestine.  With  two  elaborate  Maps  of  Pales- 
tiiie,  an  accurate  Plan  of  Jerusaieni,  and  several  hundred  Engravinjis,  representiK 
the  Scenery,  Topography,  and  Productions  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  the  Custumei, 
Manners,  aud  Uabits  of  the  People.    2  large  I'imo  vols..  Cloth,  $fi  00. 

DAVIS'S  CAUTHAOE.    Carthage  and  her  Kemains  :  being  an  Account  of  the  Exc» 

vations  andHesearches  on  the  Site  of  the  Phtenician  Metropolis  in  Africa  and  otlier 

•  adjacent  Places.    Conducted  under  the  Aus<pices  of  Her  Majesty's  (Joverninent. 

Bv  Dr.  Davis,  F.K.O.S.    Profu^'cly  Illustrated  with  Maps,  Woodcuts,  Chromo- 

Lithographs,  Ac.    8vo,  Cloth,  %\  00. 

BDOEWORTII'S  (Miss)  NOVELS.   With  Engravings.    10  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $16  Oa 

QROTE'S  niSTOKY  OP  GREECE.    12  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $18  00. 

HELPS'S  SPANISH  CONQUEST.  The  Spanish  Conquest  in  America,  and  its  Rela- 
tion to  the  History  of  Slavery  and  to  the  Government  of  Colonies.  By  Abthur 
IIki,1'B.    4  vols.,  I'Jmo,  Cloth,  $0  00. 

HALE'S  (Mrs.)  WOMAN'S  RECORD.  Woman's  Record :  or,Blographlcal  Sketches 
of  all  Disting'.iished  Women,  from  the  Creation  to  the  Present  Time.  Arranged 
in  Four  Eras,  with  Selections  from  Female  Writers  of  ath  Era.  By  Mrs.  Sabau 
JosKPiiA  11a  i.K.    Illustrated  with  more  than  200  Portraits.    8vo,  Cloth,  $5  <K). 

HALL'S  ARCTIC  RESEARCHES.  Arctic  Researches  and  Life  among  the  EsquV 
maux:  being  the  Narrative  of  an  Expediticm  in  Search  of  Sir  .Tohn  Franklin,  in 
the  Years  IHOO,  ISCl,  and  1N62.  By  Ciiaki.kh  Fban<;is  IIali-  With  Maps  and  100 
Illustrations.  The  liluslialions  are  from  Original  Drawings  by  Charles  Parsons, 
Henry  L.  Stejihens,  Solomon  Eytinge,  W.  S.  L.  Jewett,  cud  Granville  Perkins, 
aft«r  Sketches  by  Captain  Hall.    8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

HALLAM'S  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND,  from  the  Accession  of 
Henry  Vll.  to  the  Death  of  George  IL    8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

HALLAM'S  LITERATURE.  Introduction  to  the  Literature  of  Europe  during  the 
Fifteenth,  Sixteenth,  and  Seventeenth  Centuries.  By  IIbnev  Hallam.  2  vols., 
8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

HALLAM'S  MIDDLE  AGES.  State  of  Europe  danng  the  Middle  Ages.  By  Hbnbt 
IIam.am.    8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

HILDRETH'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  FinsT  Sebieb  :  From  the 
First  Settlement  of  the  Country  to  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution. 
Seconh  Series:  From  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  ConstitntUm  to  the  End  of 
the  Sixteenth  Congress.    6  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $18  00. 

HUME'S  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND.  History  of  England,  from  the  Invasion  of  .Tu- 
lius  Ciesar  to  the  Abdication  of  James  II.,  16S8.  By  Davio  Hume.  A  new  Edi- 
tion, with  the  Author's  lust  Corrections  and  Improvements.  To  which  is  Prefix- 
ed !V  short  Account  of  his  Life,  written  by  Himself.  With  a  Portrait  of  the  Au- 
thor.   6  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $9  00. 

JAY'S  WORKS,  Complete  Works  of  Rev.  William  Jay :  comprising  his  Sermons, 
Family  Discourses,  Morning  and  Evenin>j  Exercises  for  every  Dav  in  the  Year, 
Family  Prayers,  &c  Author's  enlargea  Edition,  revised.  3  vols.,  8vo,  Clotb, 
$6  00. 

JEFFERSON'S  DOMESTIC  LIFE.  The  Domestic  Life  of  Thomas  Jefferscm :  com- 
piled from  Family  Letters  and  Reminiscences  by  his  Oreat-firanddnnghter, 
Sakaii  N.  Randolph.  With  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  Illuminated  Clotb,  Bev- 
eled Edges,  $2  60. 

JOHNSON'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Works  of  Samuel  Johnson,  LL.D.  With 
an  Essav  on  his  Life  and  Genius,  by  Aethpb  MritrnT,  Esq.  Portrait  of  Johnson. 
2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

KINGLAKE'S  CRIMEAN  WAR.  The  Invasion  of  the  Crimea,  and  an  Account  of 
its  Progress  down  to  the  Death  of  Lord  Raglan.  By  Alexander  Wii.mam  Kino- 
lake.    With  Maps  and  Plans.    Two  Vols,  ready.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00  per  voL 

KINOSLEY'S  WEST  INDIES.  At  Last:  A  Christmas  in  the  West  Indie«.  By 
0a>.Bi.E8  KiNGSLET.    Illustrated.    12mo,  Clotb,  $1  60. 

SPEKE'S  AFRICA.  Journal  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Simrce  of  the  Nile.  By  Captain 
JoiiM  HanninoSpeke,  Captain  H.M.  Indian  Army,  Fellow  aud  Gold  Medalist  of 
the  Royal  Geoeraphical  Society,  Hon.  Corresponding  Member  and  Gold  Medalist 
of  the  French  Geographical  Society,  &c.  With  Maps  aud  Portraits  and  numcroui 
Illustrations,  chiefly  from  Drawings  by  Captain  Grant.  8vo,  Cloth,  uniform  with 
Livingstone,  Barth,  Burton,  &c.,  $4  00. 

STRICKLAND'S  (Miss)  QUEENS  OP  SCOTLAND.  Lives  of  the  Quiens  of  Scot- 
land and  English  Princesses  connected  with  the  Reeal  Succession  ;f  Qrent  Brit- 
ain.   By  AuNEB  Stbioklanu.    8  vols.,  12mo,  Clotb,  $12  00. 


0     Harper  &*  Brothers'  Valuable  and  Interesting  Works. 

KUIJMMACHER'8  DAVID,  KINO  OP  ISRAEL.  David,  the  King  of  iBrael :  a  I'or- 
trait  driiwii  from  HIble  History  anrt  the  Hoolt  of  PHnlms.  By  Fbkkeriok  William 
Kbu.mmaiuikh,  D.D.,  Author  of  "  Klijah  the  TlHhbltc,"  &c.  Truiislaled  under  the 
exprefH  Siiiiction  of  the  Author  by  the  Kev.  M.  O.  Eahton,  M.A.  With  a  Letter 
frum  Dr.  Urunimacber  tu  bin  American  Keaderd,  and  a  Portrait.  12mo,  Cloth, 
$176. 

LAMB'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Works  of  Charles  Lamb.  Comprising  his  Let- 
ters, PoimiH,  Essays  of  Elia.  Essays  upon  Hhalispeare,  Hogarth,  &c.,  and  a  Sketch 
of  his  Life,  with  the  Elual  Memorials,  by  T.  Noon  Talfoueu.  Portrait.  2  vols., 
12mo,  Cloth,  $3  (K). 

LIVINOSTONE'S  SOUTH  AFRICA.  Missionary  Travels  and  Researches  In  South 
Africa:  including  a  Sketch  of  Sixteen  Years'  Residence  in  the  Interior  of  Africa, 
and  a  Journey  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Loando  on  the  West  Coast ;  thence 
across  the  Continent,  down  the  River  iiamljesi,  to  the  Eastern  Ocean.  By  Davii> 
LiviNOHTONK,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.  With  Portrait,  Maps  by  Arrowsmitb,  and  uumcrouf> 
IlluHtrations.    8vo,  Cloth,  $4  60. 

LIVINGSTONES'  ZAMBESL  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to  the  Zambesi  and  its 
Tributaries,  and  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Lakes  Shirwa  and  Nyassa.  1868-1864. 
By  David  and  CuABLstt  Livinomtonk.  With  Map  and  Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$6  00. 

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